Site trade certificates: scaffolding, steel fixing, shuttering and concrete. From R1 045.
Construction courses certify the trades that build concrete and access structures on site: scaffolders, steel fixers, shutter hands and concrete hands. Fundza Training Institute runs them from R1 045 to R4 117. Individual learners train at our centre in Mokopane. Companies book a group and we train on site, anywhere in South Africa.
These courses split cleanly by the part of the build you work on. A few questions get most people to the right one.
Do you work on access structures, or on the concrete itself? Scaffolding and scaffold tower work is access. Steel fixing, shuttering and concrete work is the structure. They are separate trades and separate certificates.
If it is scaffolding: do you use it, or do you erect and sign it off? Scaffolding (2 days, R1 045) is for anyone who erects, uses or dismantles access scaffolding. Scaffold Tower Erector and Inspector (5 days, R2 475) goes further and covers inspecting freestanding access scaffolding, which is the certificate a site needs when someone has to sign the structure off. It carries a one-day refresher at R1 250.
If it is concrete: do you place it, reinforce it, or form it? Concrete-Hand (2 days, R1 800) is for workers who batch and mix concrete by volume on site. Steel Fixer (2 days, R3 600) is for assembling and fixing reinforcing steel. Shutter-hand (5 days, R4 117) is the carpentry side: setting out and building formwork.
Are you a contractor certifying a crew? Most crews need more than one of these, and the safety certificates alongside them. Safety courses covers working at heights, first aid and fire fighting, which construction sites are usually asked for at the same time.
Every construction course in this category, ordered by fee. Each fee covers the training, the assessment and the certificate.
| Course | Duration | From | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scaffolding | 2 days | R1 045 | Anyone who erects, uses or dismantles access scaffolding |
| Concrete-Hand | 2 days | R1 800 | Workers who batch and mix concrete on site |
| Scaffold Tower Erector and Inspector | 5 days | R2 475 | The person who inspects and signs off freestanding scaffolding |
| Steel Fixer | 2 days | R3 600 | Workers who assemble and fix reinforcing steel |
| Shutter-hand | 5 days | R4 117 | Construction carpenters who set out and build formwork |
For anyone who erects, uses or dismantles access scaffolding on site. The entry certificate of the group and the one most general construction workers are asked for first. See the course.
For construction workers who batch and mix concrete by volume on site. Suits general workers moving into a concrete crew. See the course.
For anyone who erects, uses or inspects freestanding access scaffolding on a construction or mining site. The inspection element is what separates it from the two-day scaffolding course. A one-day refresher is available at R1 250. See the course.
For construction workers who assemble and fix reinforcing steel on concrete works. Usually held alongside shuttering and concrete work on a reinforced concrete crew. See the course.
For construction carpenters who set out and build formwork on concrete works. The longest of the construction courses and the one closest to a carpentry trade. See the course.
These are site trades rather than workshop trades. The work happens on building sites, civil works, plant expansions and mine surface projects, usually in a crew, usually to a programme set by someone else. A concrete pour has a sequence: the formwork goes up, the reinforcing goes in, the concrete is placed. Each step has its own trade and its own certificate, and a contractor who is short of one of them holds up the other two.
Scaffolding sits across all of it, because almost nothing above ground level gets built without access. That is why scaffolding is the certificate most often asked for first, and why the erector and inspector course matters to a contractor: someone on site has to be competent to inspect the structure other trades are standing on.
Contractors are usually asked for safety certificates at the same time as trade certificates, particularly working at height and first aid. If you are certifying a crew rather than an individual, plan for both. The Construction Regulations set out what a site has to have in place.
The two-day Scaffolding course is for erecting, using and dismantling access scaffolding. The five-day Scaffold Tower Erector and Inspector course adds inspection of freestanding access scaffolding, which is what a site needs when someone has to inspect and sign off the structure. If you only use scaffolding, the two-day course is the one.
Scaffolding at R1 045 is the usual starting point, because access work touches every trade on site. From there the route depends on the crew you are joining: concrete hand for placing, steel fixer for reinforcing, shutter hand for formwork.
No. They are separate certificates and can be taken in any order. On site they run in sequence on the same pour, so crews often hold more than one, but none of them is a prerequisite for another.
Yes. We train construction groups at your own premises or site anywhere in South Africa. Tell us how many people need certifying and where they are based, and we will come back with dates and a quotation. How on-site training works.
Working at Heights Training, First Aid and Fire Fighting are the certificates most often asked for alongside the trades. They are on the safety courses page, and the Safety Combo covers the set in one booking.
