03 July 2024
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A digital version of the Engineering Services SKILLcard will enable users to access all their technical and health & safety qualifications via a mobile phone app.
SKILLcard, which is managed by the Building Engineering Services Association, has been operating for 22 years and provides over 50,000 building services engineers with evidence of the qualifications they need to access sites.
The new digital system gives users a single continually updated point of access to all their cards and the qualifications they hold in one place. It also enables site access via a QR code that can be scanned directly from the card holder’s phone using the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) ‘Smart Check App’.
Providing a digital option will also allow SKILLcard to dramatically reduce the time between applying and being able to use the card, with access made available immediately after approval. It hopes this will encourage more applicants and ensure wider and more effective use of the cards.
The Building Safety Act is intensifying the scrutiny of competence and compliance across the sector as the government seeks to clamp down on sub-standard and unsafe working practices. The new digital SKILLcard is a direct response to this development and aims to move the industry closer to the ideal scenario where the skills of the entire workforce are instantly available, transparent, and constantly updated.
Reducing the amount of plastic in use is another major benefit of the gradual switch from physical cards. BESA said it was also investigating ways of reclaiming and recycling the plastic SKILLcards once they are no longer required.
