Welcome to the Plant Sector Representative Organisation Website

What is the Plant Sector Representative Organisation?

The Plant Sector Representative Organisation (PSRO) is an employer-led partnership, through a Board, that comprises of representatives from construction-focussed employers and their federations, associations and other bodies, including from allied sectors, who have a valid interest in setting standards and delivery requirements for plant-based certificating bodies and card schemes in construction and which fall within the scope of the Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) requirements for certification schemes.

News: PSRO Board Meeting

The next PSRO Board meeting is to be held on 17th September 2024 to further progress the work of the PSRO. The main agenda items will be the CSCS-alliance plant card schemes approval process being conducted by the PSRO Technical Review Group, and the CLC Super Sector Competency Frameworks development, which includes plant occupations.

Feature: PSRO/SCSS Eco-operations National Training Delivery Framework

The PSRO and the Supply Chain Sustainability School’s (SCSS) Plant Group have worked together in order to develop a training-delivery framework for courses on plant-based eco-operations to encourage low-carbon based operations

The framework sets out the parameters for consistent delivery and identifies and provides guidance on areas such as core and optional learning outcomes, delivery content and methodologies, assessment strategies and course durations. As the learning content can vary for a number of occupations, the framework further identifies individual course content and delivery factors for plant operatives, supervisors, plant and site managers, planners, plant procurers, maintenance personnel etc.

The aim is that on completion of a course based on this framework, delegates should have attained a required level of understanding on the principles of reducing machine-based carbon emissions, enabling them to recognise and apply learnt reduction techniques, operational processes and emerging machine technologies with a desired outcome that each delegate takes personal ownership of the need to reduce emissions.

The framework can be downloaded free of charge from the ‘Updates, Downloads and Links’ page.

Feature: CITB Plant Operations Training Standards Launched

CITB has introduced a first set of new standards for the training of plant operators and allied occupations and have been developed in collaboration with industry working groups, made up of employers, providers and federations. The PSRO Technical Review Group have further provided technical and delivery guidance and support the implementation of the new standards and forms an integral part of the PSRO Competency Framework to ensure high and consistent standards for plant card scheme issue.

The new standards are made up of learning outcomes that encompass the technical content and assessment criteria as well as specifying training durations for both novice operators and those with some experience. These new standards are intended to provide consistency to plant training and testing requirements across the construction industry and alongside the new standards, the grant rates for plant training and tests will also be changed, where a single grant will be available for all CITB registered employers.

For employers to be able to claim grant, training will need to meet the technical and assessment content of the standard, be delivered by a CITB-Approved Training Organisations (ATO) and leads to a plant card that carries the CSCS logo.

More information on the new training standards can be viewed at https://www.citb.co.uk/levy-grants-and-funding/grants-and-funding/plant-standards-and-grants/

Feature: PSRO Webinar – Keeping the Construction Sector informed about Plant-based Skills and Carding

The PSRO hosted a webinar in May 2023 in order to provide an update on its formation, function, work undertaken and future activities in supporting the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) in achieving their objectives set out within their Skills Strategy. This included consideration of the implications of the strategy on the construction plant sector.

More information on the webinar and a link to the recording as well as the slides from the webinar are available for viewing and downloading from the ‘Updates, Downloads and Links’ page.