Frequently Asked Questions

Scroll below to read through our most frequently asked questions

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5 DAY SETTING
OUT COURSE

Can I split the 5 day course over two different weeks?

Yes. If you would like to split the 5 Day Course over two courses you may attend the Mon—Tue (Levelling and Taping) of one course and the Wed—Fri (Total Station) of another course. You must advise us at the time of booking if you wish to divide the training over two courses in this way.

What type of Total Stations are used for the training?

For the 5 day setting out course and 3 day Total Station course, the content is relevant to all types of total station. Typically we use Leica TS07s, Leica TS16 or Trimble, however Topcon is available on request (4 weeks notice required).

Do you offer instrument specific training?

If you would like to request a specific type of total station for the 5 day setting out course or 3 day Total Station course, please get in touch with us. Naturally, if you already have a total station, you would be welcome to bring that along with so that you can learn on your own instrument. Our 1-day Robotic Total Station for Construction course and one-to-one training are geared towards specific instruments. Please get in touch if you would like training on a specific instrument.

Are there any hidden costs?

No. The cost of our public courses include all the training, lunches, equipment, handouts, your certificate and having your achievements uploaded to the CITB Construction Training Register. All you need to allow for separately are any travel or accommodation expenses you incur.

What certification will I get for attending the course?

We are registered as an Approved Training Provider (ATO) for the CITB and we offer CITB Assured courses. CITB Assured courses are the nationally recognised standard for site surveying setting out courses in the UK. This means that CITB registered levy paying companies can claim back their grant on these courses. On completion, delegates will have the training added to their profile on the construction training register. This means that any employer will be able to verify any delegate’s training.

Is this course accredited?

If you are looking at other setting out courses and read that a course is accredited, you may find that this means company are ISO9001 accredited. This is purely a Quality Management System as opposed to any specific approval or accreditation relating to the standard of the course. Similarly, registered training companies are registered as training providers for the purpose of funding trainees who may be eligible to receive training, for example, following a period of unemployment. Being a registered training provider is no indication of the quality of the training or the relevance of the content.

Can I apply for a CSCS card with this course?

The 5 day Setting Out course is a classed as a short duration course rather than a qualification and does not allow you to apply for a CSCS card. However, we are soon launching a Level 3 Dipoloma in Engineering Surveying which will allow you to apply for your Gold CSCS card. The 5 day course will form part of the Diploma. Delegates who have already completed our 5 day course will not need to repeat it and will be able to pay a supplement for the Diploma assessment. Learn more>> Link to the Level 3 ProQual section of this FAQs page.

I have construction industry experience, but no qualifications. Can I take this course?

If you’ve been working on site in any capacity and you understand the construction process, you know how to read construction drawings, you understand how the lines of communication flow on site and you understand the roles and responsibilities, then all that is a brilliant foundation to build your skills to enable you to move into a role which involves setting out. We’ve had a lot of people on the course who have been, for example groundworkers who want to move into a new area. Or small company owners who don’t want to rely on freelance engineers, and they decide they want to build their own skills so that every now and then if they need to do a bit of setting out, they can do that. It gives them more flexibility. We’ve had bricklayers and joiners who have come through this course, and found it very valuable. It has allowed them to put themselves forward for opportunities, or look for different opportunities which involve the role of setting out. All the maths you would need is covered. We can give you a link to a free online maths course in case you would like to do a bit of preparation before the course. So yes, the course is ideal for people who’ve got experience on site and would like to move into a setting out role, even if you don’t have any qualifications. We strongly recommend that you get in touch with us an inform us if your specific situation before booking if you have any questions or doubts. We are happy to help.

Why is this course only 5 days when some are longer?

Our courses are modularised so that delegates only need to attend the parts they need. The 5 day course covers levelling and Total Station. Everyone has different work experience and different needs. If you wish to expand your knowledge further, offer separate courses for further learning such as AutoCAD, robotic Total Station, GNSS, 3D mapping and modelling and drone use.

I can’t take the full week off work, or the dates don’t suit me. What are my options?

This is a common question we get asked. The 5 day course comprises the 2 day Levelling and Taping course and the 3 day Total station For Construction course. You can attend the levelling component of the course (Monday and Tuesday) one week then the total station component (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) of a different week. They don’t have to be one after the other, it could be 2 or 3 months between if that’s what suits you. Alternatively, we offer one-to- one training which means you can book dates that suit you.

My maths is a bit rusty. Does that matter?

No, it doesn’t matter because all of the maths you will need is covered within the course content itself. If you don’t feel sure, either before you book or when you book, let us know and we will send you a link to a free maths course which we’ve created specially. It covers things like: Pythagoras, trigonometry, basic geometry, coordinate geometry, degrees, minutes and seconds (All the basics you will need in the course). So if it helps you feel more confident, you are welcome to practice in advance.

Do you have a day release option where I only need to do one day a week of the training?

In exceptional circumstances we can arrange for you to spread the 5-day course over 5 of our scheduled courses. This means you can complete the Monday of one course, the Tuesday of another course and so on until you have completed all 5 of the days.

CITB Assured Training

How does CITB Assured Training work?

The CITB accreditation and funding model comprises 4 parts

  • The Construction Training Directory (CTD) – An online directory of Assured Training Organisations and the courses they are approved to provide. The directory lists Assured Products, CITB Products and Recognised Products.
  • The Construction Training Register (CTR) – A register of all construction industry workers and the training they have completed.
  • Automated Grant Payments – Construction companies who are levy payers can now claim their grants automatically when an employee completes training, rather than having to fill in and send off paperwork

Other grant funding – See Funding FAQs

What is the Construction Training Register (CTR)?

The Construction Training Register is an online database of construction workers’ training achievements and qualifications. Construction employers can search the register to check the skills and competence of any employee or potential employee.  Construction workers can check the details of their profile and the training and qualifications listed on it.

What if I don't have a profile on the CTR yet?

If you don’t have a profile yet, we will set one up for you and upload your achievements automatically when you complete any of our courses. Any future CITB Assured courses will then be uploaded by the relevant training provider so all your construction related training will be held in one fully verifiable and searchable location.

What is an Approved Training Organisation (ATO)?

An Approved Training Organisation is an organisation which is approved by the CITB to deliver certain CITB Assured Products.

Is Setting Out for Construction a CITB ATO?

Yes, we are CITB ATO, authorised to offer a range of CITB Assured Products. This means we have completed an application process and demonstrated that our organisation meets all the requirements of an ATO. Part of this process involves providing specific details for each course we offer, including how we will ensure that each individual learning outcome is achieved by delegates.

Being and ATO means levy paying companies can claim grants against our CITB products, and we will upload delegates’ achievements to their profiles on the Construction Training Register.

What is a CITB Assured Product?

CITB Assured Products are training products that meet the CITB short duration training standards. They can only be delivered by Approved Training Organisations (ATOs).

All our standard setting out courses are in this category. You can find them in the Construction Training Directory under the heading Site Surveying and Setting Out.

Levy paying organisations can only claim grant payments on training which appears in the training directory. Currently, Setting Out for Construction is the only private training company offering CITB Assured setting out courses.

What is SOFCs involvement with developing CITB Assured Products?

Setting Out for Construction has played a key role in developing the CITB Assured setting out courses. We created a proposed list of learning outcomes and consulted with industry stakeholders to ensure the courses would meet the needs of employers. The suite of courses is designed to be modular, so there is no overlap between the courses, whilst covering the full range of skills needed.

Colleges and Universities

Can you deliver surveying modules for colleges and universities?

Yes, we can deliver the module directly to your students and complete their assessments too. We are happy to deliver the module completely independently of your own lecturers, however if you don’t have any lecturers who are able to deliver the module, we would encourage you to use the opportunity to have one or two lecturers to join in with the learning so you can bring the skills in-house and not be dependent on us.

Can you train lecturers in the Engineering Surveying module content and delivery?

Yes, we have lots of experience of training lecturers in the module content, assessment design provide guidance on the most effective ways to deliver the module.

What resources do you have to support colleges and universities?

We have our eLearning library, the text book ‘Setting Out For Construction; A practical guide to site surveying’ and a wealth of other materials which lecturers can utilise with or without other support from us either to improve the learning experience for their students or to help them learn to content for themselves.

What have others said about colleges and universities support?

Here is some feedback from one of our Higher Education customers:

“Saffron Grant has worked with Glasgow Caledonian University for a number of years in the area of construction engineering. Saffron, working with us at in the School of Engineering and Built Environment designed and implemented a practical based ‘site setting-out module’. Saffron fully understands the student needs, what employers are looking for whilst matching this to the requirements of the University. The assessment criteria is based upon practical activities, an approach which has been well received by the students and University alike. Saffron encourages, motivates and communicates well with all students on the course and is a reliable colleague with excellent technical ability, a good personality but always extremely professional in her approach to the job. If you want to be taught professionally and be competent at the end of the course in terms of setting-out then please do not hesitate to use Setting Out for Construction.”

Nigel Craig, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader, Glasgow Caledonian University

BOOKING TRAINING

How do I book a course?

To book a course please select the course you want from the Dates and Prices page and click the ‘Register’ button. 

What are your cancellation terms?

You can find our full terms and conditions here. Booking Terms and Conditions.

How do I know which training is right for me?

We understand that the course is a significant investment. It’s good for you, the customer, and it’s good for our business for us to make sure that the course is right for every single delegate. One of the reasons that we have only ever had positive feedback from delegates is that we give honest advice about whether the course is right for you before you sign up. We won’t give you the hard sell, and we never encourage anyone to come on the course if we don’t think it is right for them. We’ll find out a bit about your background and what you want to do as a result of attending the course, and then we’ll give you the information you need to help you make the right decision.

If you would like some help to decide, email our Director and Lead Trainer, gail@settingoutforconstruction.com, and provide a couple of sentences about your experience/qualifications and what you hope to get from attending the course (e.g. improve your existing skills or start working as a Setting Out Engineer). If you’d rather chat on the phone, call 0845 519 5632.

When will I receive the joining instructions?

Once you have made your online booking, the joining instructions will automatically be sent to you. Please check your junk mail if you don’t receive them within a few minutes of booking. Please contact us if you do not receive them. 

PAYMENT Methods

How do I pay for the course?

To secure your place on a course you will pay a deposit when you make your booking online. You will then receive an automated invoice for the balance. The balance can be paid by credit or debit card using the link in the invoice, or by bank transfer to the details given in the invoice.

When is the payment due?

The full balance is due 28 days before the start date of the course you have booked. If you book less than 28 days before the course start date, the full balance is due in order to secure your booking.

Can I spread the payments?

Provided all the payments are completed before the course start date we offer the option to set up a Direct Debit to pay over three months. Your place on the course is reserved once you set up the Direct Debit. 

Can we book the course using a Purchase Order?

If you are booking for a company, at our discretion we can accept a PON instead of a deposit to secure your booking. The full balance is due 28 data before the course start date. 

Can I pay the balance after the course?

In certain circumstances we may allow you to pay the the outstanding balance once the course is complete. This is at our discretion.

Funding

How can Setting Out For Construction help with funding?

If you are not sure what funding you are eligible for, or if you need any help filling in application forms, we are more than happy to help you. Contact us

What CITB funding is available?

There are 3 ways you can access funding through CITB:

Please get in touch if you would like help to identify the best funding source in terms of financial value and ease of access.

Do we need to be a CITB registered employer to claim funding?

You need to be CITB registered employer to claim CITB funding. If you are not registered, you can find out more here. Very small companies can enjoy the benefits of funding but without having to pay any levy.

Is there any funding available for individuals?

Unfortunately funding is much harder to come by if you are an individual rather than an employer. If you are unemployed you may wish to explore employability charities in your local area.

In-house Training

What courses can be run in-house?

We can run any of our courses in-house for you, or design bespoke courses based on your company’s needs. 

Who are your existing in-house training Clients?

Our in-house training Clients include numerous small and medium sized companies, as well as large Contractors including Winvic, Grahams, Barhale, MacKenzies and Vinci.

What are the venue requirements?

It depends on the course. For classroom courses, we just need a suitable meeting room or training room. For practical courses we also require some outdoor space accessible from the training room which is free from moving traffic. Please enquire for more specific details.

What if we don’t have a suitable location for in-house training?

If you don’t have a suitable training venue, it’s no problem, we can organise that for you. We have suitable venues all around the UK, and can research and provide new venues if none of them are perfectly suited to your location requirements.

What are the minimum delegate numbers for in-house training?

There are no minimum delegate numbers for in-house training, however it tends to become more cost effective than booking individual places on our open courses if you have more than 4-6 people requiring the training, depending on the location and the equipment requirements.

Do you offer large volume in-house training?

Yes. We are in contracts or framework agreements with many of our Clients to provide our services on an ongoing basis, in some cases for numbers up to 250 delegates per year. We provide turnkey solutions for various Tier 1 contractors including training, accommodation, and follow-up technical support for delegates.

GRADUATE TRAINING
PROGRAMS

Can SOFC design and deliver our graduate training program?

Yes. In addition to the courses advertised on our website we can provide a full turnkey graduate training program tailored to your company’s needs. This is especially valuable for small and medium sized groundworks or civils companies who don’t have the resources in-house to develop and run their own program but would like to be able to attract and retain high calibre ambitious candidates.

Can SOFC’s setting out training form part of our wider graduate training program?

Yes. Setting out skills are a critical component of a graduate Engineer’s development. If you are running a graduate training program already, we will work with you to identify which SOFC training modules will best support and enhance its value.

Do SOFC offer a training program for individual graduate Engineers from small companies?

Yes. If you are a small company with only one or two graduate Engineers and don’t have your own graduate training program, we can provide this service for you including a Training Needs Analysis, program design and delivery, getting ICE approval for your training scheme and provision of mentoring and support of you don’t have a Delegated or Supervising Civil Engineering within your company.

ONE-TO-ONE TRAINING

Can I be trained on my own equipment?

If you have your own equipment, you can be trained on that or if you prefer, we can provide any make or model of equipment required.

How much does one-to-one training cost?

We have trainers based around the UK. The cost of the training is £500+VAT per day if the training takes place within a 1-hour drive of where any of our trainers are based. Elsewhere in mainland England, Scotland or Wales the cost is £800+ per day which includes trainer travel and accommodation expenses. Please enquire to find out if we have a trainer based near you.

Is equipment included in the 1-2-1 training costs?

Equipment is charged separately for 1-2-1 training. There is no equipment charge if you have your own equipment. If you would like to provide equipment the costs are £80+VAT for a two-man total station, £250 +VAT for a robotic total station or £300 + VAT for a GNSS kit.  We arrange any type of Trimble, Topcon or Leica equipment.

Where does 1-2-1 training take place?

1-2-1 training can take place at a suitable location mutually agreed between the trainer and the trainee. This could be at or near your home, site or other place of work. At the time of booking the training we will advise how much outdoor space will be required.

What have others said about 1-2-1 training?

Here is some feedback from one of our previous 1-2-1 training customers:

“Last year I decided to change career and come back to the Construction Industry from the Oil and Gas sector. I agreed with my new employer that they would send me on a setting out course as a refresher to setting out and to learn some new skills using a total station. SOFC came highly recommended so I contacted them and set up some 1 to 1 ‘on the job training’ which took place over 3 days. This was beneficial to me as I already had engineering experience and didn’t want to sit through a full week’s course covering the very basics and also let me discuss job specific engineering tasks while on site. Initially we covered the basics of setting up and calibrating a total station and setting up and carrying out a calibration check on a dumpy level. Lastly we did some practical checks, putting down steel packers and did some foundation bolt checks around one of our sites. All in all the training and attention to detail was excellent. The SOFC trainer was a traditional Engineer with vast experience. She highlighted the difference between training to use a total station and actually understanding the technical side to engineering practices, which I bear in mind on every job I go to.”

John Wilson, Contracts Engineer, Steel Fabricator

LEVEL3 PROQUAL DIPLOMA IN ENGINEERING SURVEYING

When will SOFC be offering the NVQ?

We plan to offer the Level 3 Diploma in Engineering Surveying from October 2024 onwards. 

Will you notify me when you start to offer it?

Please provide your details if you would like us to you contact you when we start taking bookings. Register your interest here.

What CSCS card does this allow me to apply for?

This qualification allows you to apply for a Gold CSCS card.

How long does it take to complete the qualification?

This qualification can be completed at your own pace in anything from six weeks to one year, depending on your starting level of experience and the amount of time you spend on it. We are Bally to speak to you before you book and provide guidance based on your specific situation 

How much does the Diploma cost?

There are 3 options: 

Full training and assessment for those who are new to setting out and surveying, £3300+VAT

Intermediate course for people with 1-5 years experience of setting out and surveying, £2000+VAT

Assessment only for people who are very experienced at setting out and surveying who need to obtain a CSCS card, £995+VAT

What if I have previously completed a SOFC training course which forms part of the diploma?

If you have previously completed any of our practical training courses which are part of the diploma requirements, you may not need to repeat them. The advertised prices may be discounted if you have already completed some of our training course. Please get in touch to discuss your specific situation if this describes you.

Remote Support

What are the benefits of remote support?

Being able to access remote support means you can get instant, expert support as soon as you need it. You don’t need to take time away from site or wait until a time one of our Engineers is available to travel to you. You can access support in bite size chunks of 5-10 minutes to get quick answers to quick questions rather than having to set aside blocks of time. Five minutes of focussed support from us can save you hours of time trying to work something out for yourself, or could potentially prevent an extremely expensive setting out error.

What can remote support cover?

We can help you with literally any aspect of setting out including:

  • support with any type of setting out or surveying equipment (how to carry out a certain task or function, troubleshoot if you are stuck or your instrument is not doing what you expect)
  • helping you install new or verify existing control points
  • extract setting out data from your PDF drawings or CAD files and import it into your Total Station
  • interpret drawings to extract the correct setting out information
  • helping you set out points for which you have not been provided with coordinates
  • troubleshooting when things are not tying in as expected
How is remote support delivered?

Everyone has different preferences, so we are very flexible to accommodate different requirements. Some people prefer to give us a phone or video call as soon as they come across an issue whilst they are out on site with their drawings and instruments in front of them. Some people prefer to arrange a Teams call from their desk and bring along a list of points they need help with. Others like to send us an email containing all the details of the issue they need help with and attach drawings and photos, and some like to just fire us over a WhatsApp message. Whatever suits you, we are here to help!

What is the response time for remote support?

For customers of our support packages, we are typically available instantly when urgent help is needed. If it’s not urgent we usually respond within two working hours. When larger chunks (1-2 hours) of non-urgent training or support are needed, you can use our calendar link to book a time into our diary that suits you.

Who is remote support aimed at?

Remote support is ideal for small companies who do not have setting out expertise in-house but want to be able to recruit a junior Engineer, or enable their site team to take on certain setting out tasks without the need for agency Engineers or external Engineering services.

It’s also great for freelance or agency Engineers who would like to improve the quality of the service they provide to their Clients.

How much does remote support cost?

For a one-off call of up to 1 hour, the cost is £200+VAT. You can book that here. However, this cost is greatly reduced for members of our eLearning community and instant remote support is included as part of some of our comprehensive support packages. As a customer, you can call us, email us or WhatsApp us at anytime with quick questions that need an instant response or book longer sessions when you need them.