The health and safety industry is constantly changing, and so health and safety training should evolve alongside it. At the beginning of 2026, NEBOSH announced a significant update to their hugely popular General Certificate qualification. Read on to find out what these changes were and how they could potentially affect your studies.

What is the NEBOSH General Certificate?

The NEBOSH General Certificate is a globally recognised qualification that provides everything learners need to know and do to make their workplace safer.
It covers essential topics such as the legal, financial and moral reasons for managing health and safety, relevant legislation, how to identify and manage hazards and risks, and how to apply all of this to your workplace.
The qualification has two assessments. The first is an open book examination taken at home on a set date by NEBOSH – learners complete tasks based on a realistic scenario and upload their answer paper within 24 hours of the paper being released. The second assessment is a practical risk assessment of the learners workplace, submitted digitally.
There are two versions of the qualification – the NEBOSH National General Certificate and the NEBOSH International General Certificate.

What’s the difference between the National and International General Certificate

While the National and International versions of this qualification are technically separate qualifications, they are both SCQF Level 6 (RQF Level 3) qualifications that have the same learning outcomes, elements, and structure.
The main difference is that the National General Certificate is designed for those who will be working inside the UK, as it refers to UK legislation and historical events relating to health and safety.
The International General Certificate has been designed for those who will be working outside of the UK or in multiple countries, using bodies such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and International Standards Organisation (ISO) as references.
Both certificates are recognised worldwide and you can study either qualification from anywhere in the world to allow you to plan for future career changes.

What are the new syllabus changes?

The updates to the General Certificate have been decided on following feedback from learners(past and present, as well as tutors, examiners, learning partners, and industry experts. This particular update to the General Certificate is relatively minor:

• Unit code changes – Unit NG1/IG1 will now be known as GNC1/GIC1, and Unit NG2/IG2 will be known as GNC2/GIC2.
• Risk Assessment marking – Previously, the risk assessment for NG2/IG2 (now GNC2/GIC2) was marked on a Met/Not Met basis, where every part of the marking criteria had to be met to obtain a pass. This has now been changed to a points system, where you must obtain at least 60% to pass. You will also automatically receive a marks breakdown with your results.
• Risk Assessment submission – Rather than submitting your risk assessment to your Learning Partner, it is now uploaded directly on to the NEBOSH assessment platform, the same as the examination paper. The deadline will be 10 working days after the GNC1/GIC1 assessment for that month, even if you’ve not sat that specific sitting.
• Minor tweaks – There have been some changes to the syllabus itself however these are minor, mainly rewording learning outcomes and shifting to the use of ‘incident’ over ‘accident’ in line with ISO 45001 recommendations.

When does the new syllabus come in to effect?

The first exams under the new unit codes were March 2026 and the final assessments under the old NG1/IG1/NG2/IG2 unit codes are August 2026. This is the final opportunity for learners under NG/IG syllabus to submit under that unit code.

I’m currently studying for my General Certificate – how does this affect me?

As the updates are mainly around the assessment, all your course materials will still be accurate so there’s no need to worry about outdated materials.

• Learners who have just started and have not attempted their risk assessment yet will automatically be placed on the new specification.
• If you have attempted your risk assessment and received a Refer, then you will have until the August 2026 sitting to resubmit your risk assessment under the old specification. If you haven’t passed by August then you’ll be moved on to the new specification for your next attempt, but if you’ve already passed your Unit 1 assessment under the old spec then you won’t need to resit it, it will be carried over on to the new specification for you.
• If you’ve already passed both assessments and achieved your NEBOSH General Certificate then don’t worry – your qualification is still just as valid following these updates.

What should I do if I have any questions?

You can read the original press release from NEBOSH here, and if you have any questions about these changes and how it could affect you, then be sure to contact your Learning Partner.

 

 

This update is a positive change for learners. Risk assessments moving to a points-based marking system will make the process much more transparent and fair.
If you’re considering starting your journey to the NEBOSH General Certificate, you can hear from real ACT learners about their experience:

Case Study: Emma Ludlow, NEBOSH National General Certificate
Case Study: Siegfried Klughammer, NEBOSH International General Certificate

Preparing for your NEBOSH General Certificate assessment? Visit our resources section to make sure you’re up to date about the process:
Frequently Asked Questions – NEBOSH Scenario Based Assessment
Can you use AI in a NEBOSH assessment?