We sometimes get questions about why course cards and certificates are dated annually, while City & Guilds courses shown on DoorSafe have a four-year refresher date.
The difference is simple, but it’s important to understand what each date means.
Annual Card and Certificate Expiry
Course cards and/or certificates expire annually for the following courses:
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BS EN 16005
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Industrial Doors
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Gates & Barriers
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Turnstiles
The annual expiry date does not mean that you need to retake the course.
It simply means that your course card and certificate are due for their free annual renewal.
Updating these annually helps ensure that cards and certificates remain current and provides an up-to-date record of the individual’s training and registration.
Four-Year City & Guilds Refresher Date
City & Guilds refresher dates work differently.
The date shown against the relevant City & Guilds training on DoorSafe tells you when that course needs to be refreshed.
City & Guilds courses listed on DoorSafe require a refresher every four years.
This is the date engineers should use when checking when they are next required to complete refresher training.
Why Four Years?
Standards, technology, guidance and industry practice continue to develop.
Refresher training helps ensure knowledge remains current and gives engineers the opportunity to revisit important safety and technical requirements.
It also helps maintain competency by ensuring that knowledge gained during the original course is revisited at appropriate intervals.
What About Other Courses?
Not all courses have a refresher requirement. The only courses that require a four-year refresher are those listed on DoorSafe.
Some other courses are recorded with a “completed on” date, rather than an expiry date. There are also City & Guilds accredited courses that are not listed on DoorSafe and therefore do not require a four-year refresher.
However, where a course has a card or certificate with an annual expiry date, this will still receive its free annual renewal on completion of a card renewal form.
So, an annual expiry on a card or certificate should not be confused with a requirement to refresh the training. If the course requires a refresher, it will be listed on DoorSafe with the relevant four-year expiry date.
The Simple Version
Card and certificate expiry = annual, free renewal only
Course expiry on DoorSafe = four-year refresher date
So, if your card or certificate reaches its annual expiry date, you do not need to retake the course. Your refresher is only required when you reach the four-year expiry date shown against your City & Guilds training on DoorSafe.
Two different dates, serving two different purposes.