NEBOSH Courses

If you are new to health and safety, the NEBOSH National General Certificate is usually a very good place to start.

It is designed for managers, supervisors, people with health and safety responsibilities and those looking to begin a career in the profession. Because it covers the core principles of managing workplace health and safety, it also gives you a strong foundation if you later want to specialise in areas such as fire safety, construction or environmental management. 

You can also read more about the qualification on the official NEBOSH National General Certificate page.

NEBOSH stands for the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health.

It is an awarding organisation specialising in qualifications covering occupational health and safety, fire safety, environmental management, construction, process safety and other specialist areas. NEBOSH qualifications are studied by learners around the world. 

You can find the full range of qualifications on the NEBOSH website.

For many NEBOSH Certificate-level qualifications, you do not need to already hold a health and safety qualification.

That makes qualifications such as the National General Certificate accessible to people who are completely new to health and safety, as well as managers and supervisors who already have workplace responsibilities. 

You will, however, need a good standard of English because NEBOSH assessments require you to read information, understand scenarios and clearly explain your answers. NEBOSH recommends an English language standard equivalent to approximately IELTS 6.0 for Certificate-level qualifications. 

If you are unsure whether a course is suitable for your current level of experience, contact us and we can talk it through with you before you book.

This depends on the qualification you choose.

For example, the current National General Certificate includes a 24-hour scenario-based assessment and a practical workplace risk assessment. The revised specification uses units GNC1 and GNC2, with both assessments contributing towards the completed qualification. 

Other NEBOSH qualifications use different assessment methods, so we explain exactly what you will need to complete during your course and help you prepare for it.

You can find further information about NEBOSH digital assessments on the NEBOSH assessment website.

It happens. A referral does not mean you have to give up or start your whole learning journey again.

You can normally register to retake the relevant assessment. For the current General Certificate practical assessment, for example, NEBOSH confirms that a learner who is referred can register again and pay the appropriate assessment fee. 

At SM Safety Training, we also have our Pass Pledge. If you meet the conditions of the pledge and receive a referral, we will continue supporting you with your studies and preparation rather than expecting you to pay for the complete course again. You would still be responsible for the applicable NEBOSH resit or assessment fee.

The important thing for us is helping you understand where you can improve and preparing you properly for your next attempt.

The answer depends on the qualification and assessment you have completed.

For the current National and International General Certificate specification, NEBOSH states that results are issued within 60 working days. The exact results date will normally be shown on your assessment registration information. 

Some other Certificate assessments currently have different result timescales, so rather than giving every learner the same estimate, we recommend checking the date provided for your particular assessment.

Once you have successfully completed the qualification, NEBOSH produces your official qualification parchment.

For Award and Certificate-level qualifications, NEBOSH normally sends the qualification parchment to the Learning Partner within 20 working days of the relevant published results notification date. The Learning Partner then distributes it to the learner. 

When your certificate arrives with SM Safety Training, we will arrange for it to be sent on to you.

It is important that the name you provide when registering is your correct legal name, as this is the name that will appear on your NEBOSH documentation.

It depends on the qualification.

The NEBOSH National General Certificate is positioned at SCQF Level 6, which NEBOSH identifies as comparable to RQF/CQFW Level 3 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

Higher-level qualifications sit further up the framework. For example, the current NEBOSH Level 6 National Diploma is an RQF Level 6 qualification. 

Rather than choosing a course purely because of its qualification level, it is worth thinking about what knowledge you need and where you want your career to go.

In many cases, yes, but you will need access to a suitable workplace or premises where you can complete the assessment properly.

If you are unemployed, between jobs, transitioning from the Armed Forces or simply do not have access to an appropriate workplace, speak to us before the assessment period.

We can explain what NEBOSH requires and help you understand what sort of workplace would be suitable. It is much easier to sort this out early than wait until the assessment deadline is approaching.

Yes.

Many of our NEBOSH courses at SM Safety Training are delivered live through Microsoft Teams. This gives you the flexibility of online learning without leaving you to work through everything on your own.

You still have a tutor delivering the course live, opportunities to ask questions, group discussion, assessment preparation and ongoing support.

You can see the different courses available on our NEBOSH and Health & Safety training page. 

There is no mandatory qualification entry requirement for the current NEBOSH Level 6 National Diploma, but NEBOSH strongly recommends that learners have previously completed the General Certificate or have an equivalent level of knowledge.

That is because Diploma study assumes you already understand the core principles covered at Certificate level. 

NEBOSH also recommends a higher English language standard for Diploma-level study, broadly equivalent to IELTS 7.0. 

If you are looking at progressing beyond Certificate level, it is worth speaking to us first so we can help you look at the most sensible route.

The General Certificate is only one option. Your next qualification should really depend on the industry you work in or the direction you want your career to take.

For example, you can look at:

NEBOSH Certificate in Fire Safety if your role involves fire safety, fire risk management or responsibility for protecting people and premises. NEBOSH describes it as a globally relevant fire safety qualification. 

NEBOSH Health and Safety Management for Construction (UK) if you work in or are planning to move into construction. The qualification is aligned with UK construction legislation and CDM requirements. 

NEBOSH Environmental Management Certificate if you have responsibility for environmental issues or want to develop your environmental management knowledge. 

NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management if you work in a higher-hazard or process industry and want to develop your understanding of process safety risks. 

You can also browse the wider range of qualifications directly through the NEBOSH qualifications website.

Choosing the qualification is only part of it. You also need to choose a Learning Partner that is going to support you properly.

SM Safety Training & Consultancy Ltd is a NEBOSH Gold Learning Partner, and our approach is built around making the course understandable, practical and supportive rather than simply delivering slides and leaving you to get on with the assessment yourself. 

We provide live tutor-led training, course materials, assessment preparation and ongoing learner support. If you are unsure which NEBOSH qualification is right for you, get in touch with SM Safety Training and have a chat with us before booking. 

Or, if you are ready to have a look at what is available, explore our NEBOSH courses here.

Safety Through Knowledge.