Updates on awarding body certificate extensions due to COVID-19
CONTENT
- OPITO certificate extensions (in line with exceptional eligibility criteria)
- GWO certificate extensions (only if training is cancelled)
- IWCF certificate extensions (90 days)
- City & Guilds certificate extensions (until 31st July 2021)
- IRATA certificate extensions (90 days)
- CISRS certificate extensions (no extensions)
- ECITB certificate extensions (only in certain circumstances, details below)
- Medical certificate extensions (no extensions)
- CSCS card extensions (6 months)
- CPCS card extensions (12 months or 2 years, depending on when your card expired)
- STCW certificate extensions (6 months)
- HSE certificate extensions (no extensions)
- Survivex In-house training provider certificate extensions (no extensions)
- RTITB certificate extensions (no extensions)
- BINDT (PCN) certificate extensions (considered case-by-case)
OPITO certificate extensions
In line with exceptional eligibility criteria and advanced warning of support being withdrawn will be communicated in due course and when suitable (last updated 30/04/2020 | checked and correct as of 30/04/2021)
What you need to do - apply for an extension, full details below.
As of 19th October 2020, requests to extend certification will no longer be considered unless they clearly fall into one of two exceptional categories. As of 19th October 2020, when a certificate or extension expires, individuals will receive a two-month ‘period of grace’ in which appropriate training must be sought. However, this grace period is not an extension, so it cannnot be used to go offshore.
If an extension is granted it will extend the expiry date of the current certificate by 1 month.
As of 19th October 2020:
- Extensions can be requested 14 days before the expiry date
- Extensions will be granted for 1 month
Applying for an extension
There are two ways to apply for an extension to an OPITO certificate:
- Employing companies will be able to apply for an extension by completing the Employer Form
- Delegates (self-sponsors) will be able to apply for an extension by completing the Delegate Form
These forms will require information such as the name of the certificate holder, certificate type, expiry date and reason for extension request.
This form is completed on the OPITO website and the extension request will be reviewed and processed as a priority. Should the request be successful, a new certificate number will be generated. As the new certificate number is purely to indicate that an extension has been granted, no new certificate will be issued.
The latest updates
We will endeavour to keep our website as up to date as possible, this will include daily updates. However, if any of this will directly affect you we would recommend getting the very latest updates directly from OPITO’s website which also includes contact details for any queries.
GWO certificate extensions
60 DAYS if training is cancelled by a provider (last updated 20/05/2020 | checked and correct as of 09/02/2021)
What you need to do - complete your training before your expiry date, unless it is cancelled by your training provider.
GWO have released a policy allowing participants to refresh expired training up until a maximum of 60 days after expiry, only if they are unable to attend refresher training due to a covid-related cancellation. This does not constitute an extension of agreed validity periods, and it is unlikely training providers will make any covid-related cancellations.
IWCF certificate extensions
90 DAYS (last updated 10/07/2020 | checked and correct as of 09/02/2021)
What you need to do - provide a written request for an extension.
Candidates that have an eCert expiring between 1 August 2020 and 30 September 2020 and meet the below criteria will be eligible to apply for an extension:
- The candidate must be booked to attend a virtual classroom training course at an IWCF accredited training provider
- The candidate’s employer must provide a written request for extension
The booking details and employer request must be submitted by email to certification@iwcf.org
Once IWCF has reviewed the dispensation request, eligible candidates will be granted a 90-day eCert extension.
Candidates who do not meet the above criteria will be reviewed on a case by case basis.
City & Guilds certificate extensions
UNTIL 31ST JULY 2021 (last updated 29/01/2021 | checked and correct as of 09/02/2021)
What you need to do - nothing, certificate expiries are automatically extended.
As we continue to find ourselves in difficult times, with further lockdowns and national variances, City and Guilds realise that many learners will once again not be able to renew their qualifications. Therefore we will allow certificates that expired after the 1 March 2020 to continue to be valid until 31 July 2021, in order to allow you the opportunity to re qualify. We will continue to monitor this situation.
IRATA certificate extensions
90 DAYS (last updated 01/04/2020 | checked and correct as of 09/02/2021)
What you need to do - apply for an extension, full details below.
Upon successful application, an extension of 90 days will be granted to your current (or expired as of 01/02/2020) IRATA certification. The period of extension will be 90 days from the certificate expiry date.
IRATA will consider applications for certification that expired on or following 01/02/2020, or certification that will expire within 30 days from the date of application for extension. Additionally, at least one of the following ‘grounds for extension’ must apply to your application:
- My current certificate has expired or will expire during a period of isolation or quarantine relating to COVID-19 containment measures
- I was unable to physically attend an IRATA training course and/or assessment due to restrictions relating to COVID-19 containment measures
- I was trained but the IRATA assessment was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions
- I was booked on a training course but it was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions
- I attended a training course but it was not completed due to the COVID-19 restrictions
Certificate extension process
To apply for a certification extension, please complete and submit an online application form. Applicants are required to agree to the terms and conditions stipulated on the application and therefore, an application cannot be submitted on behalf of another individual. Please direct any queries to info@irata.org, inserting ‘certificate extension’ in the subject line.
Follow this link to apply.
PLEASE NOTE: Rope access technicians who are upgrading or revalidating shall provide their logbooks to the IRATA Trainer member company prior to the start of the training course. Where rope access technicians have lost their logbooks, they shall arrange for a replacement to be issued, complete and verified before training commences. Replacement documents can be requested on the IRATA website.
CISRS certificate extensions
No extensions (last updated 08/01/2021 | checked and correct as of 09/02/2021)
What you need to do - complete training as normal.
We would urge those with cards approaching expiry to make the necessary bookings to schedule/reschedule the relevant training and assessment.
ECITB certificate extensions
Only in certain circumstances (last updated 05/02/2021 | checked and correct as of 09/02/2021)
What you need to do - complete training as normal.
ECITB is not extending all technical test certificates at the moment.
However, there may be specific employer requirements that the ECITB will review on a case by case basis. These may include:
- Where there is no operating ATP delivering tests within 25 miles of an employer’s site, to minimise long journeys, the employer can request ECITB to consider an extension for employees whose certificates will expire
- Where an employer’s risk assessment does not allow for any employees to visit any other premises other than a work site then the employer can request ECITB to consider an extension for employees whose certificates will expire
Employers should contact ECITB’s Technical Manager, Blair Barclay, to request individual extensions. We will not consider requests from individuals, only from employers. This applies to certificates expiring between January and the end of March 2021 and we will review again at that point, or earlier if lockdown conditions change.
Medical certificate extensions
No extensions (last updated 30/06/2020) | checked and correct as of 09/02/2021)
What you need to do - book your medicals as normal.
The ‘Covid-19 amendments’ to the medical guidelines mean that examining doctors may resume OGUK medicals with immediate effect, including for those workers whose medicals were extended and are now coming up for renewal.
CSCS card extensions
12 MONTHS (last updated 25/01/2021 | checked and correct as of 09/02/2021)
What you need to do - nothing, the grace period is automatically extended.
CSCS has extended the grace period for card renewals from 6 months after the card expires to 12 months. This means that the card can be renewed, once the CITB HS&E test has been passed, up to one year from the card’s expiry date.
This will assist those applicants struggling to find availability to sit the test and renew their card earlier.
“We are in unprecedented times. Employers should expect their workers to hold a valid CSCS card as proof of their training and qualifications. However, until COVID-19 is brought under control we are asking the industry to support these temporary measures”.
CPCS card extensions
12 MONTHS OR 2 YEARS depending on when your card expired (last updated 16/05/2020 | checked and correct as of 09/02/2021)
What you need to do - extend your red trained operator card for 12 months of 2 years.
You can follow one of two routes, depending on when your card expired. Full details are available here.
STCW certificate extensions
6 MONTHS (last updated 24/03/2020 | checked and correct as of 09/02/2021)
What you need to do - send a scanned application to MCA, full details below.
Any seafarer that is unable to complete some or all of the updating refresher requirements for the issue or revalidation of a UK Certificate of Competency (CoC), should send a scanned application to the MCA*. The seafarer will be issued with a Temporary CoC valid for a period of 6 months providing that they can meet all the other requirements. They will also receive a letter from the MCA extending the validity of the training that they were unable to update/refresh. They should accompany their application with:
- Scanned copies of their original STCW Safety Training Certificate that will no longer be valid; and
- The applicable self-declaration for the STCW training that requires updating/refreshing from MSN 1865 (annex B,C,D and E)
Where STCW requires a standard to be met prior to the issue of a new CoC, the MCA will be unable to issue the CoC until this standard has been achieved.
Your contacts
For new/upgraded deck CoCs: deck@mcga.gov.uk
For new/upgrades engineers/ETO’s CoCs: engineering@mcga.gov.uk
For all CoC revalidations (Deck, Eng or ETO): revalidation@mcga.gov.uk
HSE certificate extensions
No extensions (last updated 31/10/2020 | checked and correct as of 09/02/2021)
What you need to do - continue training as normal.
From 31 October 2020 offshore medic (OM), or offshore first aid (OFA) certificates, must be current and in date. The temporary COVID-19 extension arrangements end.
Survivex in-house training provider certificates
No extensions (last updated 09/02/2021 | checked and correct as of 09/02/2021)
What you need to do - complete training as normal.
Due to the Government's classification of the energy sector as essential, Survivex are continuing to deliver courses with enhanced safety measures in place to protect our staff and delegates. We are therefore no longer granting certificate extensions, unless circumstances are exceptional.
RTITB certificate extensions
No extensions (last updated 28/01/2021 | checked and correct as of 09/02/2021)
Current qualification extensions will not be extended beyond 28 February 2021.
BINDT (PCN) certificate extensions
Considered case-by-case (last updated 06/01/2021 | checked and correct as of 09/02/2021)
What you need to do - complete training as normal.
BINDT consider that most examination centres are working as normal but will consider extension requests on a case by case basis. It is the responsibility of the certificate holder to contact BINDT on any matter regarding their certification.
Criteria for examination extensions:
- Where ongoing travel restrictions, local, national or international prevent the required personnel attending the examination venue
- Personal circumstances associated with vulnerability and shielding prevent the candidate from attending an examination
- Personal quarantine – should the candidate be forced to quarantine themselves in line with government requirements, preventing re-qualification
