Mobile Access Tower Training
Build it right, every time.
PASMA sets the UK standard for mobile access towers. Compare Towers for Users, Towers for Managers and the specialist courses from approved training centres nationwide, and get the card most employers ask for.
5-year card validity
Centres audited annually by PASMA
Independent course comparison
What PASMA training covers
Founded in 1974, the Prefabricated Access Suppliers’ and Manufacturers’ Association (PASMA) is the recognised authority for mobile access towers in the UK. It governs the industry-standard training scheme for tower assembly, use, inspection and dismantling, suitable for everyone from first-time users to major contractors.
For most employers the PASMA card is the accepted proof of competence required under the Work at Height Regulations 2005. PASMA works closely with the Health and Safety Executive, its Code of Practice is the definitive reference for tower users, and its training centres are audited annually.
PASMA courses
Every course is delivered by an approved PASMA training centre and includes both a theory and a practical assessment.
User · Most requested
The core qualification, covering safe assembly, use, inspection, alteration and dismantling of mobile access towers. This is what employers and principal contractors mean when they ask for a PASMA card.
User · Combined
Combined Low Level Access & Towers for Users
Low-level access equipment and full mobile access towers in a single programme. Usually the more efficient route if your work involves both, rather than booking two separate courses.
User · Low level
The safe use of low-level access platforms and podium steps. Common in maintenance, retail fit-out and facilities work where a full tower would be excessive for the task.
Specialist
Building and using towers on staircases and uneven ground, where standard assembly methods do not apply. Relevant to anyone maintaining stairwells, atria or sloping sites.
Specialist
PASMA Cantilever Towers for Users
Assembly and use of cantilever towers, where the platform must extend over an obstacle such as plant, machinery or a fixed structure. A distinct build method with its own stability considerations.
Manager
For those specifying, hiring and overseeing tower work without the practical build element. Suits managers who need to know what good looks like rather than to erect towers themselves.
Which PASMA course do I need?
If you build and use towers
Towers for Users is the course. If your work also involves podium steps and low-level platforms, the combined course covers both in one programme and usually costs less than booking separately.
If your site is awkward
Towers on Stairs and Cantilever Towers are specialist courses for staircases, sloping ground and platforms that must reach over an obstacle. They are taken in addition to the core qualification, not instead of it.
If you plan or oversee the work
Towers for Managers covers specification, hire and supervision without the practical build. It is not an operating qualification, so anyone who will personally assemble a tower still needs Towers for Users.
Your card and certificate. A PASMA Certificate and Photo Card is issued to delegates who pass the theory and practical assessment, valid for five years. Since 1 January 2022 PASMA no longer posts hard-copy certificates; you receive a card showing the certificate number, plus a virtual certificate available once the card is issued.
Both delegates and employers can verify a card through the PASMA check a card tool, which confirms whether it is genuine and still in date.
Diary your renewal. Unlike some schemes there is no shorter PASMA refresher: when the five years are up you retake the full course. Note the expiry date when your card is issued and book before it lapses, since an out-of-date card can stop you working at height on site.
Training a team? PASMA courses involve practical tower building, so group delivery works particularly well: the training happens on the equipment your team will actually use, at your own premises or a venue near you. Group pricing is lower per head, and everyone’s card then expires on the same date. See on-site training for groups.
Towers, powered access or ladders?
Three types of access equipment, three separate training schemes. Holding a card for one does not cover the others.
PASMA: mobile access towers
Aluminium towers assembled by hand and moved on castors. The right qualification when your team builds and uses its own access equipment.
Scissor lifts, cherry pickers and boom lifts. A separate scheme issuing the PAL Card; holding PASMA does not cover MEWP operation.
Ladder Association: ladders and steps
Ladders and stepladders, still legitimate access equipment for short-duration low-risk work. Again a separate scheme with its own card.
Need a tower or powered platform for a job rather than the training to use one? Our sister site, Raybee, helps you find access platform hire suppliers covering your area.
PASMA training: frequently asked questions
How long does PASMA training take?
Towers for Users is typically a one-day course including both the theory and the practical assessment. Specialist courses and the combined programme vary, so check the individual course page for the format each provider offers.
Do I need a PASMA card by law?
No. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require that anyone working at height is competent, but they do not name a specific card scheme. In practice most employers and principal contractors accept the PASMA card as the recognised proof of that competence, so you may not be allowed on site without one.
Is there a PASMA refresher course?
No. Unlike some safety schemes there is no shorter refresher: when your five years are up you retake the full course. It is worth noting the expiry date when your card is issued and booking before it lapses.
Does PASMA cover scaffolding?
No. PASMA covers mobile access towers: prefabricated aluminium towers you assemble and move. Traditional tube-and-fitting or system scaffolding is a separate discipline with its own qualifications and inspection requirements.
Can PASMA training be done online?
No. Every PASMA course includes a practical assessment on real equipment, so training is delivered in person at an approved centre or at your own premises.
How do I check whether a PASMA card is valid?
Use the check a card tool on the PASMA website. It confirms whether a card is genuine and still in date, and is the same route delegates use to access their virtual certificate.
I have lost my PASMA card: what do I do?
Contact PASMA directly to arrange a replacement. Because certificates have been issued digitally since January 2022, your record exists on their system regardless of whether you still hold the physical card.
Find a PASMA course near me
PASMA courses run at approved training centres across the UK. Because every course includes a practical assessment on real equipment, they are delivered in person rather than online, so location matters more here than on classroom-only qualifications.
To find a PASMA course near you, open the course you need from the cards above; each page lists live dates and venues. Nothing suitable showing? Contact us and we will let you know when something becomes available in your area, or arrange delivery at your own site.
Related working-at-height training
IPAF MEWP training
Ladder Association training
Scaffold inspection
Work at Height Regulations
PPE guidance
Construction courses
On-site group training
Ready to book your PASMA course?
See live dates and locations from approved training centres across the UK, or ask about delivery at your own premises.