The ECITB Leading a Team Safely (LaTS) course has been delivered internationally for the first time as part of a pilot programme with Hides Gas Development Company (HGDC Ltd) in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
The two days of training were delivered by ECITB Global to a cohort of 16 to help develop the leadership safety skills of workers operating on the multi-billion-dollar Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project in Hela Province, PNG.
The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board’s (ECITB) LaTS course is designed to provide an essential introduction to managing teams within the context of health and safety in the engineering construction industry (ECI).
The course focuses on the essentials of leadership such as planning, implementing and reviewing, with a natural emphasis on health and safety.
The course is linked to the UK version of the International Health and Safety Passport (IHSP), the CCNSG (Client Contractor National Safety Group) Safety Passport scheme.
“As part of a strategic alignment with industry standards and to streamline health and safety leadership training across borders, ECITB Global is implementing the Leading a Team Safely (LaTS) course as a key component of its global training framework.
“Following this successful pilot in PNG, the LaTS course will be replacing the existing Supervisor and Advanced levels of the IHSP scheme later this year. The change mirrors the structure of the CCNSG Safety Passport in the UK, ensuring consistency between domestic and international safety training programmes.
“The integration of the LaTS course into ECITB Global’s framework marks a significant evolution in international safety leadership training. It will ensure a consistent, high-quality approach that mirrors UK best practices while being tailored for deployment across complex global projects.
“After reviewing feedback from the pilot, the LaTS course will go on general release throughout our existing licensed training provider network across multiple international regions.
“The course will serve as the standardised leadership-level safety training for supervisors and team leaders operating within engineering construction projects globally, particularly in high-risk sectors such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, renewables and heavy engineering.”
Tristan Kemp
ECITB Head of Commercial
Supporting major projects in PNG
As well as being a milestone around the LaTS course, the pilot course also represents a significant step-up in delivery for ECITB Global in Papua New Guinea.
Since 2009, HGDC Ltd has been working alongside the PNG LNG Project developer ExxonMobil PNG and its engineering, procurement and construction contractors to provide skilled labour and other services.
As well as trainers and workers from HGDC, the LaTS pilot was also attended by representatives from Lihir Gold Mine, Don Bosco Training Institute and Mapex Training Institute.
Tristan added: “ECITB Global is committed to invest time and effort into this emerging economy. We plan to roll out the IHSP scheme further afield in PNG followed by technical courses and apprenticeships later this year.
“This training will support major projects in PNG, particularly for the LNG, mining, manufacturing and construction sectors.
“It will ensure the PNG workforce is qualified to internationally recognised standards to meet industry requirements, while being fully aligned to government bodies such as the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST) and the Department for National Content.”
Pictured: Jason Riley, HGDC National Content and Business Development Manager, and John Cosgrove, General Manager of HGDC, receive a plaque to become an ECITB Global Licensed Training Provider from Paul Angus, ECITB Global Commercial and Provider Account Manager for the APAC region.
Key areas of future use of the LaTS course globally
- Qualification for supervisory roles in international engineering projects.
- Contractor assurance to demonstrate leadership competence in safety.
- Regulatory compliance support in jurisdictions that require evidence of supervisory safety training.
- Client confidence, with a recognised and transferable benchmark of safety leadership.
Leading a Team Safely - International benefits to industry
- Global consistency: Replacing multiple IHSP levels with LaTS provides a single, internationally aligned standard, reducing complexity for multi-national contractors and clients.
- Focus on leadership and behavioural safety: LaTS emphasises influencing safety culture, effective communication and team leadership – addressing root causes of unsafe behaviour and improving team performance.
- Recognised industry benchmark: As the global equivalent of the UK’s CCNSG LaTS, this programme gives clients and operators confidence in supervisory capability regardless of project location.
- Improved competence assurance: Contractors and employers benefit from a transparent, externally verified system to assess and upskill supervisors in line with project safety requirements.
- Support for international project delivery: With the globalisation of the engineering workforce, LaTS helps to standardise safety expectations across diverse nationalities and operational environments.
Pictured: The cohort doing the pilot Leading a Team Safely (LaTS) course in PNG.
