NPORS Training at Your Site or Ours

What NPORS is

NPORS training, in plain terms

NPORS is the National Plant Operators Registration Scheme. It is one of the two accrediting bodies for plant and machinery operators in the UK, the other being CPCS. It does not teach anybody anything itself: it sets the standard for each machine category, registers the instructors and testers who are allowed to assess against it, and issues the card when somebody passes.

That card is the point. On almost every site in the country an operator is asked for two things before they are allowed near a machine: proof they have been assessed on that particular category, and proof they have passed a health and safety test. The NPORS card is the first of those, and the version with the CSCS logo on it satisfies both at once.

The part that matters commercially is where the assessment happens. NPORS categories can be delivered and tested on an employer's own site, on the employer's own machines. Nobody loses a day travelling, the operator is assessed on the kit they will actually be using on Monday, and for a squad it is almost always cheaper per head than sending people out one at a time.

123 NPORS categories, from counterbalance trucks to crawler cranes
Delivered at our centres or on your site, on your machines
Novice, experienced, conversion and refresher routes for every category
CITB Health, Safety and Environment test booked alongside if you need it
One assessor, one booking and one invoice for a whole squad

The card

Which NPORS card you end up with

Three cards come out of the scheme and they are not interchangeable. Which one you want decides what you have to do first, so it is worth settling before you book anything.

1

NPORS Traditional card

Valid 3 or 5 years, your choice · No CITB test required

For operators working outside construction: quarries, waste and recycling, agriculture, ports, warehousing and industry generally. The standard assessed against and the way it is achieved are identical to the CSCS route. It simply does not carry the CSCS logo, so it is not the card to hold if you are going on to a construction site.

2

NPORS Trained Operator card, red, with the CSCS logo

Valid 2 years, and it cannot be renewed · CITB HS&E test within the last 2 years

For construction, where the operator has been trained and tested on the machine but does not yet hold the NVQ. It gets them working, and it starts a clock: the relevant NVQ has to be achieved inside those two years, because the red card does not roll over. Most people who miss that deadline end up starting the paperwork again from cold.

The qualification behind it

3

NPORS Competent Operator card, blue, with the CSCS logo

Valid 5 years, renewable · CITB HS&E test, plus the relevant NVQ

The card a construction employer actually wants to see. It is issued to operators who already hold the NVQ for the work, and it carries a CPD record and an operator logbook alongside it. If your operators are on red cards today, this is where they are heading.

The qualification behind it

Which route

Novice, experienced, conversion or refresher

Every category runs at four different lengths depending on what the operator already has. Picking the right one is the difference between a day and most of a week, and the standard assessed against is the same at the end of all four.

1

Novice

No previous experience on the machine. The longest route, covering theory, pre-use checks, safe operation and practical assessment from the ground up.

2

Experienced

You already operate the machine at work but have never been formally tested on it. Shorter, and assessed against the same standard.

3

Conversion

You hold a current card for a related machine and need the category adding. Builds on what you already hold rather than starting again.

4

Refresher

Your card is close to expiry, or has recently expired. Renews the category and keeps you working without repeating the full course.

The other scheme

NPORS or CPCS: which one do you need?

Both schemes exist to do the same job and both are recognised across the industry. They differ in where the testing happens and how much flexibility an employer has, which is usually what decides it.

	NPORS	CPCS
What it stands for	National Plant Operators Registration Scheme	Construction Plant Competence Scheme
Red trained operator card	Normally 2 years	Normally 2 years
Blue competent operator card	Normally 5 years	Normally 5 years
Where testing happens	At a centre, or on the employer's own site and machines for many categories	At an accredited CPCS test centre
Test format	Theory and practical, assessed together by a registered tester	Separate theory and practical technical tests
Getting the CSCS logo	CITB HS&E test pass within the last 2 years	CITB HS&E test pass within the last 2 years
Route to the 5 year card	The relevant NVQ	The relevant NVQ

Neither card is universally accepted and neither one outranks the other. Individual clients, principal contractors and projects set their own rules, and some sites name one scheme in their site requirements. Check what the site you are going to will accept before you book, and if you are not sure, tell us where the work is and we will find out.

The catalogue

Every NPORS category we run

Search by machine or by N-code, whichever you think in. A category shown without a link is one we can still deliver; ask and we will price it.

Search the NPORS categories

Lift trucks & telehandlers 14 Excavators & earthmoving 20 Cranes & lifting operations 25 Access, MEWPs & working at height 8 Roads, highways & municipal 18 Plant marshals, supervisors & inspection 9 Tools & small plant 11 Agricultural & groundcare 12 Safety awareness (NPORS) 6

Lift trucks & telehandlers

Counterbalance and reach trucks, telehandlers, rough terrain and container handlers, order pickers and pallet stackers. Warehouse and yard as well as site.

Industrial Counterbalanced Lift Truck N001 The standard warehouse forklift, weighted at the back so it can carry on the forks at the front. Reach Lift Truck N003 Warehouse truck whose forks reach forward into racking beyond its own wheelbase. Lorry Mounted Lift Truck N004 The forklift carried on the back of a delivery lorry, usually called a Moffett. Order Picker N005 Lifts the operator up with the load so stock can be picked by hand out of racking. Sideloader Lift Truck N006 Loads from the side rather than the front, for long loads like timber, steel and pipe. Narrow Aisle Lift Truck N007 Turret and man-up trucks working aisles too tight to turn a counterbalance in. Pallet and Stacker Truck N008 Powered pallet trucks and walk-behind stackers, the everyday movers on a warehouse floor. Rough Terrain Lift Truck N009 A masted forklift on site tyres, for yards and ground a warehouse truck cannot cross. Telescopic Handler N010 The telehandler, the machine most sites just call the teleporter or the telly. Telescopic Handler Suspended Loads N138 Lifting on hook and chains from a telehandler, which the standard N010 ticket does not cover. Container Handler N012 Reach stackers and empty handlers, the port and depot machines that move shipping containers. Pivot Steer Lift Truck N013 The articulated truck, Bendi and Flexi types, that turns inside the aisle instead of the cross aisle. Multi Directional Lift Truck N135 Wheels turn through ninety degrees so the truck can travel sideways with a long load. FLT Supervisor Awareness N036 For the person supervising forklift work rather than driving it, and what they are expected to enforce.

Excavators & earthmoving

Excavators at 180 and 360, dumpers forward and rear tipping, loading shovels, dozers, graders, scrapers and skid steers.

Micro Excavator 360° up to 1 Tonne N016 The one tonne micro digger, small enough for gardens, cellars and standard doorways. Excavator 180° N201 The backhoe loader, JCB style, digging arm on the back and a loading shovel on the front. Excavator 360° N202 The 360 digger, tracked or wheeled. This is the machine most people mean by excavator. Excavator as a Crane N100 Lifting with the excavator instead of digging with it, a separate category and a separate test. Tiltrotator System N020 The wrist between the arm and the bucket that tilts and rotates the attachment. Suction Excavator N021 Vacuum excavation, sucking spoil clear of live services instead of digging through them. Trencher N203 Cuts one continuous narrow trench for cable and pipe rather than digging it bucket by bucket. Forward Tipping Dumper N204 The site dumper that tips over the front, the commonest muckaway machine on any job. Forward Tipping Mini Dumper N139 The small forward tipper, up to a tonne, for gardens, footpaths and confined sites. Rear Tipping Dumper N205 The articulated dump truck that tips backwards, for bulk haulage on earthworks. Loading Shovel N209 The wheeled loader, bucket on the front, loading wagons and working stockpiles. Skidsteer Loader N212 The compact skid steer, the Bobcat, which steers by braking one side against the other. Dozer N215 The tracked bulldozer, pushing and spreading with a blade. Scraper N223 Cuts, carries and spreads soil in a single pass on large earthworks. Grader N240 The motor grader, finishing levels and cambers to a fine tolerance. Soil Stabiliser N040 Mixes binder into the ground where it lies, making a working platform out of poor soil. Soil Displacement Hammer N015 The mole, punching a bore under a road or a drive without opening it up. Landfill Compactor N224 The spiked drum machine that spreads and compacts waste across a landfill cell. Quick Hitch Awareness N726 The coupler that changes buckets, and the checks that stop one dropping an attachment. Machine Control System N030 GPS and laser guidance on an excavator or dozer, digging to a model rather than to pegs.

Cranes & lifting operations

Mobile, crawler and tower cranes, lorry loaders, hoists and mast climbers, plus the Appointed Person, lift supervisor and slinger signaller tickets that go with them.

Mobile Crane N101 The road going mobile crane, all terrain and city types, set on outriggers to lift. Tower Crane N102 The static tower crane over a building, saddle jib and luffing jib. Remote Control Tower Crane N115 Driving the tower crane from the ground on a remote rather than from the cab. Crawler Crane N103 Tracked lattice boom crane, for heavy lifting that stays on one site for months. Overhead Crane N104 The gantry or bridge crane running on rails inside a factory or workshop. Overhead Container Gantry Crane N144 The rail or rubber tyred gantry that stacks containers in a port or inland terminal. Quay Crane N105 The ship to shore crane loading and discharging containers at the quayside. Compact Crane N140 Tracked spider cranes and pick and carry cranes, for indoor and restricted access lifts. Marine Knuckle Boom Crane N014 The folding knuckle boom crane mounted on a vessel or an offshore structure. Lorry Loader N107 The Hiab, the crane mounted behind the cab of a delivery lorry. Hoist N111 The goods and passenger hoist running up the outside of a building. Boat Hoist N136 The travel lift that straddles a boat to take it out of the water. Dragline N116 Cable operated bucket cast out and dragged back, for wet excavation and dredging. Rigging and Fleeting Loads N047 Moving a load sideways on rigging gear when no crane can reach the position. Wind Turbine Lifting Operations N051 Lifting inside and around a turbine, which the standard crane categories do not cover. Appointed Person N401 Plans the lift and carries responsibility for it. The top of the lifting chain, and a desk ticket, not a machine one. Slinger Signaller N402 The banksman who slings the load and signals the crane driver. Crane Lift Supervisor N405 Runs the lift on the day, to the plan the appointed person wrote. Plant Loader Securer N120 Loading plant onto a low loader and securing it properly for the road. Piling Rig Attendant N022 The ground crew working to the rig, handling cages, augers and casings. Piling Rig N221 Operating the rig itself, across bored, driven and CFA piling. Pay Welder N241 The pipeline welding rig carried on a tracked or wheeled carrier. Side Boom N242 The tracked pipelayer that carries pipe strings along the trench and lowers them in. Static Concrete Placing Boom N721 The fixed boom that places concrete on a high rise pour. Concrete Pump N211 Truck mounted and static pumps, putting concrete where a wagon cannot reach.

Access, MEWPs & working at height

MEWP boom and scissor, mobile towers, harness and fall arrest, ladders and stepladders, and the supervisor awareness that sits above them.

MEWP Boom N108 The cherry picker, an articulating or telescopic boom that reaches up and over. MEWP Scissor N109 The scissor lift, straight up and straight down on a platform. MEWP Supervisor Awareness N035 For the person supervising MEWP work rather than operating, rescue planning included. Mast Climber N119 The powered platform that climbs a mast up the face of a building. Mobile Scaffold Towers N706 Building, moving, inspecting and dismantling an alloy tower. Safe Working at Height N404 The general working at height category, for anyone off the ground without a machine ticket. Safe Use of Stepladders and Ladders N711 Picking the right ladder, footing and tying it, and knowing when a ladder is the wrong answer. Harness and Fall Arrest N723 Choosing, fitting, checking and anchoring a harness, and the rescue plan that has to sit behind it.

Roads, highways & municipal

Rollers, planers, pavers, chipper spreaders, sweepers, gritters, skip and hook loaders, crushers and screeners.

Road Roller N214 The roller, single and twin drum, compacting sub base and blacktop. Road Planer N216 The planer that mills the old surface off before the new one goes down. Paver N220 The asphalt paver laying and screeding the new surface behind the wagons. Asphalt Chipper Spreader N244 Spreads chippings onto hot binder on surface dressing work. Road Sweeper N217 The mechanical sweeper, truck mounted and compact, on roads and site haul routes. Skip Loader N219 The chain lift skip wagon that drops and collects builders skips. Multi Lift and Drop Hook Loader Vehicle N225 The hook loader, roll on roll off, handling bulk containers rather than skips. Shunter Vehicle N243 The yard shunter that moves trailers around a distribution site. Refuse Collection Vehicle N029 The bin wagon, including the bin lifts and the reversing controls. Tow Tractor N210 The tug that tows trailers and dollies round a yard, a warehouse or airside. Gritter and Snowplough N802 Winter maintenance, spreading salt and ploughing snow. Safety at Street and Road Works N714 Setting out signs, cones and lights to Chapter 8. The ticket for working in the highway. Horizontal Directional Drilling Rig N130 Steerable drilling that puts a duct under a road or a river without opening a trench. Crusher N207 Jaw, cone and impact crushers, turning site arisings into stone you can reuse. Screener N208 Screens crushed and dug material out into sized products. Loader Compressor N206 A loading machine with a compressor on board, running air tools as well as loading out. Roll Crusher Packer N026 One of the rarer categories on the NPORS list. Tell us the machine you run and we will confirm the ticket. High Pressure Water Jetting N038 Jetting to clean, cut and clear drains, and the exclusion zones that go round it.

Plant marshals, supervisors & inspection

The people who watch rather than operate: plant and vehicle marshals, banksmen, excavation marshals, plant supervisors, and thorough examination for inspectors.

Plant Supervisor Awareness N034 For the person supervising plant operations rather than operating, and what they answer for. Plant and Machinery Marshal N133 Directing plant movements on site and keeping people out of the danger zone. Vehicle Marshal N403 The banksman directing lorries and vehicle movements on and off site. Excavation Marshal Banksperson N027 Controlling work around an open excavation and directing machines near the edge. Plant Mover, Non Operational Duties N132 Moving a machine on and off transport or round a yard without operating it in work. Plant Inspector Thorough Examination N039 For the person carrying out thorough examination of plant under LOLER and PUWER. Report of Thorough Examination N019 Writing the examination report itself, and what has to be recorded on it. Safe Use of Mobile Loading Ramps N045 Setting, securing and using a mobile ramp to load a vehicle. Material Re-Handler N722 The long reach handler sorting and feeding material on waste, scrap and recycling sites.

Tools & small plant

Abrasive wheels and cut-off saws, bench and circular saws, breakers, cartridge tools, post rammers, cable avoidance and shoring.

Abrasive Wheels N301 Mounting, dressing and running abrasive wheels on fixed and portable machines. Abrasive Wheels Hand Held Cut Off Saw N017 The disc cutter, the Stihl saw, which is the hand held half of the abrasive wheels ticket. Bench Saw N302 The site bench saw, its guarding, its riving knife and its push sticks. Circular Saw N303 The hand held circular saw, how it is guarded and how it is controlled. Cable Avoidance Tool N304 CAT and Genny, finding buried services before anybody breaks ground. Concrete Cutting Chainsaw N025 The ring saw and chain saw cutting concrete and masonry, usually water fed. Powered Hand Held Breaker N048 The breaker, hydraulic, electric and pneumatic, and the vibration limits that come with it. Cartridge Tool N710 The cartridge fired nail gun, and the controls round holding it and firing it. Puller Winch N033 Hand and powered pulling winches, Tirfor types, and the rigging they run through. Post Rammer N041 The tractor or excavator mounted rammer that drives fence and barrier posts. Shoring, Install, Inspect, Remove N049 Trench boxes and props. Putting the support in, checking it, and taking it back out.

Agricultural & groundcare

Tractors, ATVs and quads, chainsaws and chippers, mowers, strimmers, stump grinders, hedge trimmers and winching.

Agricultural Tractor N601 The farm tractor, and the implements worked behind it. Chainsaw Maintenance and Cross Cutting N602 The first chainsaw ticket, maintaining the saw and cross cutting timber on the ground. Wood Chipper Shredder N603 Feeding, clearing and shutting down a chipper. Grass Cutters and Mowers N604 Ride on and pedestrian mowers on grounds maintenance. Strimmer and Brush Cutter N605 The strimmer and the brushcutter, their blades, guards and exclusion zones. Stump Grinder N606 Grinding a stump out once the tree is down. Hand Held Hedge Trimmer N610 The hedge trimmer, on the ground and on a pole. All Terrain Vehicle Sit Astride N608A The quad bike, ridden astride. All Terrain Vehicle Sit In N608B The sit in utility vehicle, Gator and Ranger types, driven on a steering wheel. All Terrain Vehicle Multi Drive N608C Multi wheeled skid steered vehicles, Argocat types, including amphibious use. Winching and Recovery N609 Recovering a stuck or overturned machine with winches and strops. Log Handler N106 The grab handler loading and stacking timber at a yard or at the roadside.

Safety awareness (NPORS)

The awareness and safety categories NPORS accredit alongside the machines: confined spaces at all three risk levels, manual handling, fire warden, asbestos awareness and working at height.

Confined Spaces, Low Risk N702 Entry where escape is straightforward and no breathing apparatus is needed. Confined Spaces, Medium Risk N702 Entry needing escape breathing apparatus and a controlled entry procedure. Confined Spaces, High Risk N702 Entry needing full breathing apparatus and a standby rescue team outside. Fire Warden N703 The site fire warden, sweeping the area and running the roll call at the assembly point. Manual Handling N704 Lifting, carrying and team handling, and sizing up a lift before making it. Asbestos Awareness N031 Recognising asbestos and stopping work. Awareness level, not removal.

Practicalities

How an NPORS course actually runs

WhereYour site and your machines, or one of our centres

How longFrom half a day for a refresher to five days for a novice, by category

NumbersSmall groups, usually up to three or four per instructor

The testTheory and practical, assessed on the day by a registered NPORS tester

BringPhoto ID, your current card, and full PPE

The cardRegistered with NPORS once you pass; the CSCS logo needs the CITB test

PricePer course, not per head, so a squad costs less each

BookingRun to order, so the dates fit around your programme

For employers

Training a whole squad

Most of our NPORS work is done for employers rather than individuals, because it is cheaper and quicker that way round.

We come to you, anywhere in the UK, and assess on your own machines
One booking covers several categories across the same visit
Novice, experienced and refresher candidates can run alongside each other
CITB Health, Safety and Environment tests booked in the same block
One invoice, one point of contact, and a record of who holds what
We will tell you which operators are due a refresher before their cards lapse

Talk to our team How a business account works

Common questions about NPORS

How much does an NPORS course cost?

NPORS courses are priced per course rather than per person, because the cost is the instructor, the tester and the machine time rather than the seat. That means the price depends on the category, the route and how many operators you are putting through, and it also means a squad works out substantially cheaper per head than sending people out one at a time. Every category page on this site has a builder on it: pick the machine, say who is coming and it prices the course and tells you how many days it takes.

Is an NPORS card as good as a CPCS card?

For most purposes yes, and the two schemes assess to the same kind of standard with the same card colours and the same validity periods. The honest answer is that acceptance is decided by whoever runs the site, not by the schemes. Some principal contractors name one scheme in their site rules. Check before you book, and if you are not certain, tell us where the work is and we will find out for you.

How do I check an NPORS card?

NPORS run a card checker on their own website and CSCS operate Go Smart for cards carrying the CSCS logo. Both take the registration number from the front of the card and tell you which categories it covers and when it expires. If you are an employer with a lot of operators, we keep a record of everything we have put your people through, so you can ask us instead.

My card has expired. Do I have to start again?

Not necessarily, but do not leave it. A card renewed before it expires goes through the refresher route, which is the shortest and cheapest option there is. Once it has lapsed you usually need the experienced route instead, which takes longer and costs more, and if it has been out of date a long while you can end up back on the novice route. The moment to ring us is a couple of months before the expiry date, not after it.

Can you train on our site, on our own machines?

Yes, and for most categories that is how we prefer to do it. Your operators are assessed on the kit they will actually be using, nobody loses a day travelling, and it is cheaper per head for a group. We need somewhere safe and reasonably level to run the practical, and the machine needs to be in serviceable condition with a current thorough examination. We will tell you honestly if your site is not suitable for a particular category.

Do I need the CITB Health, Safety and Environment test?

For the NPORS card with the CSCS logo, yes, and it has to have been passed within the two years before you apply. The traditional NPORS card does not require it. We can book the test alongside your course so it is all done in one go, and we run the test at our own centres.

What is the difference between the red and blue NPORS cards?

The red Trained Operator card says you have been trained and tested on the machine. It lasts two years and it cannot be renewed. The blue Competent Operator card says the same and adds that you hold the NVQ for the work; it lasts five years and it can be renewed. The red card is meant as a stepping stone: the two years are there so you can get the NVQ done while you are working. If the deadline passes, the card goes and you are back to square one, so it is worth starting the NVQ early.

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