The Compliance and Skills Academy

The Compliance and Skills Academy (COSAC) is an innovative and work-focused training provider, who specialise in offering a comprehensive range of Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) site safety courses. There are ever-increasing numbers of construction workers who need to take site safety courses in order to obtain their CSCS Green Labourer Card. The Labourer card enables site managers to verify that people working in construction have achieved the RQF Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment.

COSAC recognised that it is difficult for construction workers to find time off-site for training and to travel to test centres to sit exams. To provide a more flexible route to obtaining the Labourer card, COSAC launched Safe2Site™ - an online course that can be studied on multiple devices, with the final assessment delivered via remote invigilation. This is where a supervisor connects to the candidate for the duration of the exam, and monitors them over the web using video, audio and remote screen share - this effectively recreates the exam hall environment, but everything is done online. Remote invigilation provides a huge degree of flexibility, as the student can sit their exam from any location at any time, while the integrity of the exam is maintained.

To deliver exams for the Safe2Site™ course, COSAC set out to find a supplier that could provide the exam authoring, test assembly, marking and reporting features required, while also delivering exams via remote invigilation. TestReach, unlike other assessment suppliers, provides remote invigilation exam delivery as an integral part of its assessment system – it is not a ‘bolt-on’ solution from a separate provider. This had many advantages for COSAC, such as:

• It was possible to ‘switch on’ remote invigilation exam delivery whenever required;
• A professional invigilation service was provided by trained TestReach supervisors: each invigilator understood the underlying assessment application and could answer any questions about the system from the candidate;
• The invigilators connected to candidates securely using audio, video and remote screenshare, plus the session was recorded for future review in case it was required;
• Complete security was provided with no risk of compromised passwords or cheating, thus maintaining the integrity of the final exam;
• Dealing with only one supplier with responsibility for all aspects of their assessment;
• All data in one system with complete reporting across assessment and invigilation – plus no risk of inconsistencies between systems.

The challenge for COSAC was to ensure that the relevant regulatory authority, the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), would approve of the Safe2Site™ course with the remote invigilation exam delivery model. Historically CSCS had not approved e-assessment in non-invigilated conditions due to the high risk of malpractice, particularly in locations that are remote from test centres such as a learner’s home. Angeleen Hill, CSCS Scheme Manager, said that “Ensuring the integrity of the examination process is absolutely paramount to CSCS and we work closely with our partners in the industry to tackle fraudulent behaviour. I am pleased to confirm that Safe2Site™ is the first course to adhere to CSCS’s strict e-assessment policy. COSAC has demonstrated that learners can sit their exam online while being monitored in real-time by TestReach supervisors, who fully maintain the security of the exam process. This is the first time a course has met all the Regulatory Principles contained within CSCS’s e-assessment policy.”

COSAC has been delighted with the response to their innovative course and assessment provision. Large numbers of construction workers have signed up for the Safe2Site™ online course, and students have welcomed the flexibility that online study and remote invigilation has provided. It has also benefitted construction employers, as staff don’t have to take extended time off from building sites to study and sit exams. Another big positive is that candidates have found the TestReach application very easy and intuitive to use.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with TestReach to transform how construction safety courses and assessments are delivered in the UK,” said Andy Mason, Academy Director at COSAC. “This is a first in the world of construction assessment; never before has a construction-related training course and assessment delivered online met CSCS’s requirements. Now it doesn’t matter where a learner lives or works, as long as they can access the internet, they can complete this course and gain the CSCS green Labourer card. More construction workers can now get the qualifications they need in a convenient way.”

“The TestReach team has been amazing to work with, giving proactive and expert help at every step of the project,” said Mason. “They have by far the most advanced remote invigilation solution where the interface is innovative, modern and easy-to-use. This gives our candidates a very positive experience and reflects well on us as an organisation. Working with TestReach has ultimately made us more competitive and able to offer our qualifications to a much wider audience.”

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Click here to visit the COSAC website and learn more about the CSCS Green Card Online Training Course, Safe2Site™