The Site Environmental Awareness Training Scheme (SEATS) has been developed by contractors Costain, Skanska and Wates with support from CITB-ConstructionSkills.
The course is endorsed by the UK Contractors Group (UKCG) and the Environment Agency.
SEATS aims to provide those working on site with the knowledge required to drive environmental best practice.
It sets out to reduce the costs and duplication of contractors having to develop their own in-house training schemes and provide a programme that can be used across the supply chain.
The one-day course covers typical site environmental issues, including site environmental sustainability, water management, resource efficiency, contamination and hazard awareness.
As part of the course development, four pilot courses were run in September and October last year by Costain, Skanska and Wates. Each company intends to roll out SEATS as a requirement for all their site supervisors and managers.
There are now 24 trainers qualified to deliver SEATS, including the National Construction College and other accredited Site Safety Plus training providers.
National Construction College director Andy Walder said: “As the first nationally accredited environmental training programme to be developed for the sector, today presents an important step in raising the benchmark for environmental best practice across the wider industry. We have a responsibility to help employers manage the impact their activities have on the wider environment – equipping the industry with the skills and training it needs to deliver long-term beneficial change.”
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