Should You Take the NEBOSH National General Certificate? | Employee Benefits

The NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety is an excellent training course for professionals looking to specialise in health and safety as a career. If you have long-term ambitions to progress, the course also serves as a natural progression to higher-level qualifications such as the NEBOSH Level 6 Diploma.

When deciding on a health and safety qualification, it's great to get a grasp of the upsides of available courses so you can be sure you're making the right choice with your time and hard-earned money.

Is the NEBOSH National General Certificate Worth It?

There is no question. The NEBOSH General Certificate is absolutely worth it for learners who have a passion for and want to develop a career in, health and safety. It has a deep syllabus with broad application across multiple industries and departments, allowing you to implement safe practices wherever you are.

The course is largely recognised as the perfect way to kick-start a career in health and safety. But it’s also great if you just want to improve your knowledge to be able to do your job better. 70% of people who take the course are employed in jobs where health and safety isn’t their main role. 

NEBOSH are considered the gold standard of health and safety qualifications and holding this qualification makes you eligible for 90% of health and safety jobs in the industry. For employers, the certificate is a clear indicator of an individual's expertise and there will be no doubt in your skillset.

Without the need for any entry requirements, this certification allows you to engage in meaningful and practical discussions around health and safety, paving the way for a higher level of responsibility and professional growth in your role.

What Are the Benefits of a NEBOSH National General Certificate?

There are a number of key positives that learners will benefit from once they have successfully completed their NEBOSH National General Certificate:

• Access to a Syllabus Crafted by Industry-Experts.
  • Development of Practical Real-World Skills.
• Increased Career Development Opportunities.
  • Professional Organisation Memberships.
• Enhancement of Health and Safety Knowledge.
• Better Compliance in Your Organisation.

Access to an Industry-Standard Syllabus Crafted by Experts

Thousands upon thousands of experts and organisations have contributed to update this qualification. This makes it perfectly designed and placed to reflect the needs of today's employer having been overseen by hundreds of industries.

Our team of health and safety experts and learning designers have hand-crafted our courses to use innovative learning techniques - maximising information retention.

Development of Practical Real-World Skills

Some of the key skills the NEBOSH General Certificate course and assessments support learners develop, include:

• Planning
• Evaluating Actions Taken
• Effective Decision-Making
• Management of Report Writing
• Communicating Objectives and Tasks

Typical feedback from people who have successfully completed the NEBOSH General Certificate is a new confidence they have gained that underpins how they work, earning them more respect from colleagues. A good course provider whether it is online or class-based will bring the learning to life, so you understand the concepts using real workplace examples. You can practise what you learn in a controlled environment and benefit from effective guidance.

The NEBOSH General Certificate covers a broad range of topics and includes typical workplace scenario questions in the assessment, giving you the opportunity to practically apply what you’ve learned. This will include a comprehensive range of essential tools, such as how to use an effective health and safety management system in the workplace, the process for developing a range of risk assessments and how to positively influence the safety culture to name a few.

Increased Career Development Opportunities

You probably know by now that the NEBOSH National General Certificate is ideal for managers of teams who have health and safety responsibilities, but also if you are hoping to transition to a more specialised health and safety role.

The NEBOSH Certificate is recognised as the best qualification to start your career in health and safety. In fact, employers are the driving force behind the demand for this sought after qualification. Research of safety job adverts carried out year on year demonstrates that over 90% of employers expect applicants to hold the NEBOSH General Certificate as a minimum.

There is a greater diversity of people taking the NEBOSH Certificate, with over 70% of these students being in a management role rather than a safety specific job. Companies recognise the importance of effective health and safety and view it as an essential management skill. This widely respected qualification is invaluable if you wish to develop a career in management or specialise in health and safety.

The NEBOSH General Certificate is accepted by IOSH, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. It meets the academic requirements for Technical Membership of IOSH (Tech IOSH) and must be accompanied by suitable experience in health and safety. You can move through the higher categories of IOSH depending on your qualifications and experience. The level of membership of the internationally recognised IOSH is a key indicator for employers and other colleagues of your professional status.

It's also recognised by other global organisations like SAIOSH and IIRSM.

Professional Organisation Memberships

The NEBOSH General Certificate is accepted as entry to lots of global professional organisations, which gives you access to a world of exclusive resources. These are just a few of the professional membership levels you can achieve in different organisations:

What Salary is Typical for Jobs That Require a NEBOSH General Certificate?

Salaries for jobs that have the NEBOSH General Certificate as a requirement typically fall between £35,000 and £50,000. The job titles that would often request a NEBOSH General Certificate include:

• Health and Safety Manager
• Health and Safety Auditor
• Risk Manager
• Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Specialist
• Construction Health and Safety Advisor
• Emergency Response and Crisis Management

Enhancement of Health and Safety Knowledge

The NEBOSH General Certificate gives you the essential foundation in health and safety to enable you to work more effectively in your job. If you have management responsibilities, whether you are in operations or production or you are in a safety specific role, the NEBOSH Certificate will give you the know-how and confidence to work in the best way.

Whatever sector and role you work in, you will gain a clear understanding of the legal requirements for health and safety, and how to implement health and safety management systems based on a Plan, Do, Check and Act model, showcased in ISO45001. You will also learn the methods of controlling workplace hazards in a wide range of areas in:

• Workplace.
• Transport.
• Musculoskeletal.
• Work equipment.
• Fire.
• Electrical.
• Chemical and biological.
• Physical and psychological.

The sound knowledge gained from the NEBOSH General Certificate will equip line managers to adopt best practice in how people work. Knowledge enables you to influence the right people in your company, from directors to operational workers and build a better safety culture. This in turn will naturally lead to fewer accidents and a higher performance.

This is a lot to pack into one course, so you might be wondering how long it takes to complete it. It takes roughly 110-125 hours to complete the course, and you can find out more in our NEBOSH National General Certificate study duration roadmap.

Better Compliance in Your Organisation

Companies have a duty to achieve and sustain legal compliance and protect their greatest assets – their people. Organisations that aim for best practice in their health and safety arrangements will automatically gain the benefits.

As a NEBOSH Certificate qualified employee, your company will benefit from your knowledge and skills to meet recognised standards, legislation and codes of practice and protect people from injury. Your ability to be able to provide a safe workplace will prevent failure that can result in high costs due to staff absence, lost productivity and insurance costs as well as the negative impact on reputation and morale.

If you want to find out more about the NEBOSH General Certificate, including it's full syllabus and how its assessed, you can view our ultimate guide on everything you need to know about the course.

Benefits of Choosing Astutis as Your NEBOSH General Certificate Provider

Transparent Pricing with No Hidden Costs: All our courses are completely transparent about pricing, which means there are no hidden costs or fees. You can rest easy and focus on your training, knowing there will be no unwelcome charges further down the line. For a full breakdown of the all-inclusive course costs and what influences them, we've created a full guide for you to read.

Need funding for your course costs? There are a few funding options available for you.

An Award-Winning Training Provider: Carrying the badge of being an Astutis course graduate has weight behind it. Our learners have won the Best Overall Candidate at NEBOSH Graduation for the last three years running, so we have a reputation for producing courses that are the choice of award winners.

Feefo Platinum Service Award: By choosing us for your NEBOSH National General Certificate you will receive an unmatched level of customer service and care, recognised with the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award for a third year running in 2025.

High Pass Rates: We have an 82% NEBOSH Certificate first-time pass rate - which is far higher than the national average, and a demonstration of our course's efficacy.

For more information about our NEBOSH National General Certificate course, you can visit our course page below. Try a free demo, read our FAQs, view the full syllabus and much much more!