Street Works and Highways

This section includes training courses related to safe working on roads, streets and highways. Principle among this group of courses are training courses designed for supervisors and operatives who are required to carry out their roles and responsibilities in accordance with standards prescribed by awarding bodies and as required by the New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA), associated legislation, and applicable Approved Codes of Practice.

The New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA) and associated Codes of Practice set out a legislative framework for notification requirements, safety to highway users and the standards of work on highways.

NRSWA City and Guilds Qualifications

NRSWA City and Guilds qualifications are aimed at local authorities, utilities companies, and their contractors involved in carrying out and monitoring road works on the highways and footpaths.

There are a number of units relating to operatives and supervisors, which cover the range of skills necessary to safeguard their work, including signing lighting and guarding, and carrying out excavation and re-instatement work.

The  NRSWA supervisor and operative qualifications in this section provide routes to registration or re-registration on the Street Works Qualifications Register (SWQR) required under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991. Those who successfully complete NRSWA course unit(s) will receive a Certificate of Competence which will need to be sent to the SWQR for registration.

Street Works Qualifications Register (SWQR) 

The SWQR holds the details of all NRSWA trained and qualified supervisors and operatives. It works closely with awarding bodies including City & Guilds, LANTRA, CABWI and SQA. SWQR registered individuals are issued with a durable ID card, which can be produced on site if necessary, to prove qualification status.

Street Works cards issued under the provisions of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 are valid for an initial period of 5 years. Supervisors and operatives are then  required to be reassessed every 5 years to enable re-registration on the SWQR.

NRSWA Categories and Units

There are 16 NRSWA course units of competence with the New Roads and Street Works Act. Unit 1 (Location and avoidance of underground apparatus) is for both supervisors and operators, Units 2-9 are for operators, and Units 10-16 for supervisors.

Further details relating to NRSWA Street Works units and course programmes can be found on the following category pages:

NRSWA Street Works - Operative Training

NRSWA Street Works - Supervisor Training

NRSWA Street Works Signing Lighting and Guarding – Supervisors (Unit 10)

NRSWA Street Works Signing Lighting and Guarding – Operatives (Unit 2)

NRSWA Reassessment - Operatives

NRSWA Reassessment – Supervisors

NRSWA Permit Compliance for Inspectors

The predominant demand for street works and highways courses is for the NRSWA qualifications, and there are many open courses available with scheduled events, but there is also the LANTRA highways scheme option. There are generally less open course dates for LANTRA programmes, but dedicated courses can be arranged where multiple delegates need to be trained.