CISRS says it decided to leave CSCS after receiving legal advice that the scheme was in breach of Construction Leadership Council requirements and risked having its licence revoked.
In a statement sent to Scaffmag today, CISRS said the issue centres on Clause 4 of the CLC’s Industry Card Schemes requirements.
The clause says cards carrying the CSCS logo should not be issued for non-construction occupations or people visiting sites. CISRS cards are used across the scaffolding and access industry, including sectors outside construction.
CISRS said: “Following legal advice, the CISRS Board took the decision to protect the scheme after being advised that CISRS was in breach of Clause 4 of the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) Industry Card Schemes requirements.”
The Board said consultation could not resolve the conflict between the CLC requirements and the way CISRS cards are used.
It said delaying formal action could have left the industry facing a much shorter transition period.
“Delaying action to consult would also have exposed CISRS to the risk of its CSCS licence being revoked, potentially leaving training centres, employers, contractors, employees and cardholders with only a few months to respond,” CISRS said.
The scheme also said discussions it understood to be private were made public by other stakeholders while possible solutions were still being considered.
The legal advice and the Board’s detailed assessment have not been published.
STA questions lack of consultation
The CISRS response follows an open letter from the Scaffolding Training Alliance, dated 10 September, calling for formal consultation and firm guidance on card recognition and site access.
The STA said it supports the principle of one competence card for scaffolders working across construction and other industries.
But it criticised the way the decision was made, claiming training centres, employers, scaffolders and apprentices were not consulted before the announcement.
The STA describes itself as an informal association of principals from CISRS-accredited training centres.
In a 2025 statement, the STA said 23 training organisations and centre locations had contributed to its formation. The full list can be viewed in the STA’s original LinkedIn post. The group has not published an up-to-date membership list or publicly explained its governance, decision-making structure or who is authorised to speak on its behalf.
It said no centre known to the group had been informed or invited to contribute before the plans were announced.
CISRS announced on 8 September that it would become the Competence in Scaffolding Record Scheme on 1 January 2027, retaining the CISRS initials.
It plans to leave the CSCS Alliance on 1 June 2027.
CISRS says the change will allow scaffolders to use one competence card across construction, utilities, marine, aviation and petrochemical work. It argues that remaining under the current CSCS licence could lead to duplicate cards for people working across different sectors.
Six requests from training providers
- A joint CISRS and CSCS statement confirming site-access arrangements and card validity.
- Guidance for scaffolders and employers on card verification after 1 June 2027.
- Publication of the evidence, legal advice summary and governance decisions behind the withdrawal.
- Early access to draft scheme documents, including proposed changes to manuals, contracts or audits.
- A structured consultation involving training centres, employers and scaffolders.
- An assurance that UK scaffolding standards will remain unchanged through the reform and rebrand.
The letter also raises questions about apprentices who will still be progressing through CISRS programmes when the change takes effect.
The STA wants assurance that their qualifications, progression and cards will remain recognised throughout their programmes.
Training providers have also asked whether Training Manual 4.0 will be revised, whether centre contracts will change and how audits, sanctions and trainer requirements will be managed during the transition.
Site access remains unanswered
CISRS has said existing cards will remain valid for their normal duration and at the same sites as before. Current qualifications, training programmes, assessment routes and card-verification systems will remain in place.
From June 2027, new and renewed cards will have a different design and will no longer carry the CSCS logo.
How construction clients will treat those cards has yet to be explained publicly.
Build UK’s current Training Standard supports the CLC position that the industry should specify recognised card schemes carrying the CSCS logo, with “no equivalents accepted”.
The STA said employers need to know whether clients will accept the revised CISRS card and whether contractual requirements will change.
CISRS said setting 1 June 2027 as the departure date had created time to work with the scaffolding and access industry on an agreed solution.
“CISRS’s preference is to achieve that solution collaboratively. But if agreement can’t be reached, contingency plans are in place to provide a fully functional solution for clients, scaffolding contractors, training providers and cardholders, with the objective of ensuring continued recognition of competence and access to relevant sites from June 2027 and beyond,” it said.
CISRS said any solution must serve the whole scaffolding and access industry, maintain standards and avoid costly duplication.
Details of the contingency plans have not been released. No change has been announced to the current Build UK requirements covering cards without the CSCS logo.
