Guide
PASMA course: which one you need, how long it takes, what the law asks
Updated
A PASMA course trains people to assemble, use, move and take down mobile access towers or low-level platforms safely. Towers for Users is the course most sites ask for, and the combined course adds Low Level Access in the same day.
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Which course you need
- Towers for Users
- For anyone who assembles, dismantles, moves or inspects a mobile aluminium tower.
- Low Level Access
- For podiums, pop-up platforms and other low-level equipment.
- Combined Low Level Access and Towers for Users
- Both qualifications in one day; PASMA says that separately the two courses would take 1.5 days (PASMA).
- Towers on Stairways and Towers for Managers
- For towers built on stairs, and for the people who plan and supervise tower work.
How long the card lasts
Gelder Group's course page says its price includes certification and an ID card, both valid for five years (Gelder). Check the expiry date on your own card before you book a refresher.
Why an employer has to train
The Work at Height Regulations 2005, regulation 5, say no one may work at height unless they are competent or being trained under a competent person (legislation.gov.uk), and Schedule 3 sets the requirements for working platforms, including mobile towers (legislation.gov.uk).
Funding
CITB's short course grant page, read on 28 October 2026, lists set grant rates for plant, scaffolding and a few other standards, and tells employers with a course not on that list to look at Employer Networks or ask their local CITB adviser (CITB short course grants). Ask the training centre whether your booking qualifies before you assume it does.