Construction workers ready to report signs of qualification fraud: CITB

​​​​​​​Respondents to a CITB survey overwhelmingly agree that reporting suspected qualification fraud is essential and helps protect site safety

Industry personnel feel confident in identifying signs of qualification fraud but do not know how to report it, a survey conducted by construction sector partners reveals.

While respondents to the survey overwhelmingly agreed that reporting suspected qualification fraud is essential and helps protect site safety, they acknowledged gaps in their understanding of the reporting process itself.

Ofqual, the regulator of qualifications, exams and assessments in England, surveyed in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) and received 473 responses from across the construction sector.

Qualification fraud can be committed in several ways including:

• creating, buying or using fake certificates for regulated qualifications
• delivering ‘fast track’ training which leaves out important and necessary content
• helping learners cheat in tests by giving answers or taking a test on their behalf

Fraudulent qualifications can then be used to obtain CSCS cards, allowing workers to access construction sites without the requisite skills.

While this fraud can be spotted during training sessions, it can also be called out by workers on site who can see the difference between a worker’s real-life skills and the qualifications they claim.