Training courses

A B-SCC, SOS-SCC or SIS-SCT training course is a good preparation for the corresponding examination. You increase your chances of success, build your CV and show your employer or client that you take safety and health at work seriously.

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Taking a training course

An SCC training course is not compulsory, but it is highly recommended. There are classroom and e-learning courses. You take a classroom training course together with your fellow students at a location arranged by the trainer. You take an e-learning course individually from a computer, in your own time and at a location of your choice. There are also trainers who combine the two forms. You first take an e-learning course and then a classroom training course. Most of the training courses end with sitting the corresponding exam. You can often take a mock examination during the course, so that you get a feel for the kind of questions you will have to deal with during the real examination.

Of course, training is not the only way to acquire the required knowledge and skills. This can also be done, for example, through an induction programme, on-the-job training or coaching. Discuss with your employer what suits you best.

Tips for finding a suitable training course

Unlike recognised examination centres, there are no accredited SCC trainers as yet. Every trainer may offer SCC training courses. All you need to do is quickly search on Google to see that there is a wide choice of training courses. How can you find out which training course you should take?

  1. Ask your employer for help. They often have regular contact with trainers. You can also discuss with him what kind of training suits you best. Do you learn better in practice or from a book? Do you remember course material better with visual examples or when it is explained verbally?
  2. Ask your trade association for help. It will know which instructors are experts in your sector and which instructors offer sector-specific training.
  3. Ask colleagues who previously completed a course about their experiences, or read online reviews by course members.
  4. Check whether trainers have expert teachers, use the SSVV's Explanation of attainment and test criteria, use the glossary of the Central Examination Board SCC (in Dutch), are clear about the results of their course participants, systematically work on quality improvement (e.g. based on the quality requirements of NRTO, in Dutch), measure their customer satisfaction and have a complaints procedure.
  5. Choose a multi-day training, so that you have more time to practice the lesson material and let it sink in. Short training courses are sometimes more like examination training than a good preparation for safety and health at work.
  6. Ask trainers for examples of their course material so that you can see if you find the explanations and examples used to be clear and understandable.
  7. Ask trainers if you can meet the lecturer briefly (by telephone) to see if you have a click with him or her.
  8. Ask for information from different trainers, so that you can compare the content of the training courses and have something to choose from.

Record your training courses in the personal safety logbook

You record your knowledge and experience and some relevant medical data in the personal safety logbook. This shows that you work safely and that you are healthy enough for certain activities.

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Costs and duration

Training is available in all shapes and sizes. What a training course costs and how long it takes depends on your wishes, capabilities, capacities and experience, among other things.

A thorough SCC training takes two (B-SCC) to three (SOS-SCC and SIS-SCT) days and costs about 225 euros per day. The examination is almost always included. This course length generally gives you sufficient scope to practice and let the course material sink in.

Shorter courses are particularly suitable for people who have already gained a great deal of practical experience. Longer courses are suitable for people with little experience, who are not yet familiar with working in the Netherlands or who have difficulty learning, reading or writing.

There are also courses in a language other than Dutch. The costs of this may vary from language to language. Ask your trainer about the precise options.

Training for specific high-risk tasks

An SCC training course teaches you the basics of safe and healthy working. But what you do not learn is how to perform specific risky tasks. Such as measuring gas, recognising asbestos or working with a forklift truck. The SSVV has compiled instructions, training and education for this type of high-risk tasks in the SSVV Training Guide (STG). The offer from the STG is an addition to the regular professional and SCC training courses and includes:

  • Working with hazardous substances
  • Falling objects
  • Working on critical equipment
  • Working in confined spaces
  • Working at height
  • Working with work equipment
  • Protection
  • Pesticide control
  • People and behaviour

The instructions, training and education of the STG allow companies to satisfy the SCC requirement that their employees must have specific knowledge and skills in order to perform specific risky tasks and activities in a risky environment.

Read more about the STG on the SSVV website (in Dutch).