The Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme (CISRS) has issued a strong response following criticism from a newly formed industry group, the Scaffolding Training Alliance (STA), labelling it an “unrecognised and unverified entity.”
The STA, which has only recently emerged onto the scaffolding scene, issued a statement raising concerns over proposed reforms to the CISRS training framework. In response, CISRS and its owner, the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC), say they are disappointed by the public commentary, especially as the proposals are still under development and not yet subject to formal consultation.
Wayne Connolly, Chair of CISRS, said the changes are being driven by clear demand from employers and scaffolders themselves, not commercial interests.
“The changes that have been announced for CISRS and that are in development have been demanded by employers and cardholders, while some commercially interested training providers have resisted modernisation,” said Connolly.
“CISRS and NASC will continue to work directly with accredited centres and recognised industry stakeholders professionally and will not entertain discussions with groups whose composition and intentions are unclear.”
The STA claims to represent a collective of access professionals and training providers concerned about the direction of scaffolding training in the UK. However, little is known about the group’s membership or governance.
In defending the planned updates to its long-established training scheme, CISRS emphasised that reforms would improve access and quality across the board.
As reported yesterday, proposals include increasing training capacity for 16–17-year-olds, boosting the amount of practical learning time, and introducing tougher quality assurance procedures.
“A key improvement will be the mandatory recording and monitoring of learner outcomes, including failure rates – a move long resisted by some centres but essential for transparency and continual improvement,” Connolly added.
He said that CISRS’s commitment remains with the workforce and employers who depend on its standards, noting the organisation’s longstanding collaboration with Unite the Union.
“We believe change must be guided by those who use and rely on CISRS qualifications and not by commercial training providers with vested interests.”
CISRS and NASC say they remain open to “constructive, informed, and transparent” dialogue as they continue modernising the scheme to meet the future needs of the scaffolding and access industry.
ScaffMag has reached out to the STA for further comment.
