SMSTS Course for Employers: Book SMSTS for Your Team

Q: Can we run an SMSTS course at our offices?

Yes. Target Zero Training delivers closed SMSTS courses at employer premises across the UK, provided you have a suitable training room with projection facilities and good Wi-Fi. There is no extra charge for venue hire if you provide the room.

Q: Do you offer NEBOSH or NVQ training for the wider team?

Yes. Target Zero Training delivers the NEBOSH National General Certificate for senior health and safety personnel, and a full range of NVQ qualifications from Level 2 to Level 7 for site operatives, supervisors and management.

When You Book Multiple Courses.

Booking SMSTS training for a team is different from booking a single delegate. Construction employers usually need to coordinate availability across multiple site managers, manage cost approvals, claim CITB grant funding, and decide whether classroom, online or on-site delivery works best for the business. This guide explains how to book SMSTS for your team with Target Zero Training, what options are available, how the costs work, and how to make the process as straightforward as possible.

Why employers book SMSTS for their teams

The Site Management Safety Training Scheme is the recognised CITB qualification for site managers, project managers, and senior supervisors on UK construction sites. Most principal contractors and major housebuilders require SMSTS as a contractual standard for anyone managing site activities. Tier 1 contractors often refuse to accept site managers onto their projects without a current, in-date SMSTS certificate.

For employers, this creates a clear business case. Holding a team of qualified SMSTS holders means you can deploy managers across more contracts, win work with main contractors who require it, and protect the business from prosecution in the event of a serious incident. Many employers book SMSTS in batches to keep their qualified pool topped up as new managers are promoted, refreshers fall due, or new contracts come in.

If you are not sure whether SMSTS is the right course for every member of your team, our guide on which construction course do I need maps roles to qualifications. Site supervisors and gang leaders typically need SSSTS rather than SMSTS, and senior managers with valid certificates need the SMSTS refresher every five years.

Delivery options for employer bookings

Target Zero Training offers three delivery formats for employer SMSTS bookings, and you can mix formats across one team if that suits your operation.

Classroom courses at our venues

Public classroom SMSTS courses run weekly at our seven UK venues: Chelmsford, Peterborough, Crawley, Sheffield, Stratford, Waltham Abbey, and Barking. This is the most flexible option for sending one or two delegates at a time, especially if your team can join the next available date close to home.

Online live SMSTS

The SMSTS course runs live online over five consecutive days with a CITB-approved tutor. Delegates need a laptop or PC with a webcam and a stable internet connection, but they can attend from home, the office, or a site cabin. This format works well for employers with site managers spread across the country, and it cuts out travel and accommodation costs entirely.

Closed (in-house) courses

For groups of six or more, a closed SMSTS course is usually the most cost-effective and convenient option. We deliver the course exclusively to your team on dates you choose, either at one of our venues, at your offices, or live online. Closed delivery means the entire group qualifies on the same date, the content can be tailored with examples relevant to your work, and there is no need to coordinate around public course schedules.

Many employers also use closed delivery to align certification renewals across the team, so future refreshers fall due at the same time and can be booked together.

Group rates and bulk pricing

SMSTS pricing for employers depends on volume and delivery format. Public course rates start from £399+VAT per delegate. For closed courses and group bookings of six or more, we offer bespoke pricing that typically works out lower per head than booking individually onto public courses. The savings come from delivering one course to the full group rather than slotting delegates onto multiple public dates.

Get a tailored quote by calling 01245 379496 with the number of delegates, your preferred delivery format, and any date constraints. Quotes are usually returned the same working day with a fixed price and available dates.

CITB grant funding for SMSTS

Most of our employer clients are CITB-registered and reclaim a significant proportion of their SMSTS course fees through the CITB grant scheme. Under the current grant rates, SMSTS attracts a Tier 3 short-duration grant, which substantially reduces the net cost per delegate.

The 2026 CITB funding changes have altered how grants are paid and which courses qualify. We cover this in detail in our guide to the CITB grant funding changes 2026. The headline for employers booking SMSTS is that the qualification remains grant-eligible, but the claim process has been simplified and is now linked more directly to course completion.

If you are not registered with CITB but qualify under the levy threshold, our office can talk you through the registration process. If you are registered, we issue all the documentation needed for your grant claim automatically when delegates complete the course.

How to book SMSTS for your team

The booking process for employer groups is designed to be quick. Here is how it works.

Step 1: Get a quote

Call 01245 379496 or email the office with the basics: how many delegates, what delivery format you prefer, and when you need them qualified by. We will confirm available dates and the total price within the same working day.

Step 2: Confirm dates and delegates

Once you approve the quote, we issue a booking confirmation listing the course dates, venue or online platform details, and joining instructions. You can confirm delegate names at this stage or send them through later, as long as we have the final list at least 48 hours before the course starts.

Step 3: Pay by invoice or card

Employer bookings can be paid by BACS against an invoice with standard 30-day terms, by credit or debit card, or via Klarna for monthly instalments. We do not require deposits or upfront payment, and we can issue purchase order documentation if your finance team needs it.

Step 4: Delegate joining instructions

One week before the course, every delegate receives joining instructions directly, including timings, venue access details or online platform login, and any pre-course reading. You receive a copy of all joining instructions for your records.

Step 5: Certification

On successful completion, certificates are issued by CITB within four to six weeks. We send all certificates to the named contact at your organisation in one batch, along with the documentation needed for your CITB grant claim.

Planning around site work and shutdowns

Most employers prefer to book SMSTS training around natural breaks in site work: school holidays, Christmas shutdowns, planned site closures between phases, or quieter weeks in the schedule. We hold dates throughout the year and can usually accommodate specific weeks if you book several months in advance.

Closed courses give you the most control here. We will block out the dates you choose and run the course exclusively for your team, so you do not have to worry about public course availability. For online closed delivery, we can split the course across two weeks if running five consecutive days does not work operationally, although the standard format is five back-to-back days.

If your refreshers are due, planning ahead means you can keep the team qualified without anyone falling out of certification. Our SMSTS refresher is two days, runs online, and can also be delivered as a closed course.

Dedicated account management

Employers booking SMSTS regularly with Target Zero Training are assigned a dedicated point of contact in the office. Account managers handle quotes, bookings, joining instructions, certificates and grant documentation for the full lifecycle of each booking.

This means you do not need to repeat your delegate list, contract requirements, or invoicing setup every time you book. Once your account is set up, future bookings are usually a single phone call or email. We also keep track of when your existing certificates fall due for refresher and will flag them with you in good time.

For larger employers booking 20 or more SMSTS delegates per year, we can also set up a framework agreement with locked-in pricing across the contract term.

Frequently asked questions

How many delegates can attend an SMSTS course?

CITB rules cap SMSTS courses at 20 delegates per tutor. For closed courses with more than 20 delegates, we run two courses in parallel with separate tutors, or we stagger them across consecutive weeks.

Can we run an SMSTS course at our offices?

Yes. We deliver closed SMSTS courses at employer premises across the UK, provided you have a suitable training room with projection facilities and good Wi-Fi. There is no extra charge for venue hire if you provide the room.

What if a delegate cannot attend?

Substitutions are free up to 48 hours before the course starts. After that, the delegate would need to be rebooked onto a future course, with any rebooking fees clearly set out in your booking confirmation.

How long is the SMSTS certificate valid?

Five years from the course completion date. Certificate holders need to attend a two-day SMSTS refresher before the certificate expires to keep their qualification current.

Can SMSTS be delivered alongside other courses?

Yes. Many employers book SMSTS alongside SSSTS for supervisors, IOSH Managing Safely for non-construction managers, or Temporary Works Coordinator for technical roles. We can put together a multi-course quote covering everything in one booking.

Do you offer NEBOSH or NVQ training for the wider team?

Yes. We deliver the NEBOSH National General Certificate for senior health and safety personnel, and a full range of NVQ qualifications from Level 2 to Level 7 for site operatives, supervisors, and management. NVQs are a good route for experienced staff who do not have formal qualifications matching their site responsibilities.

Book SMSTS for your team

Target Zero Training holds a 4.9 out of 5 rating from over 10,000 reviews and works with construction employers ranging from sole-trader builders through to Tier 1 contractors. To get a quote for SMSTS training for your team, call 01245 379496. We will confirm dates, pricing and CITB grant eligibility on the same call.