The LEEA Qualification Pathway, Diplomas & the TEAM Card

The LEEA Qualification Pathway, Diplomas & the TEAM Card

Passing the Foundation Certificate opens the full LEEA Academy structure. Understanding how the pathway is organized helps candidates plan their development and helps employers verify the credentials of the people they appoint to inspect lifting equipment.

---

1. Diploma Courses: Study in Any Order, Specialize Freely

LEEA's Diploma courses are the technical qualifications of the Academy. Two structural rules shape the pathway:

1. Foundation first: There is a mandatory requirement to have successfully completed the Foundation Certificate before accessing any Diploma course.
2. No tiers or levels: Each Diploma is a LEEA qualification in its own right and carries equal value to any other. After the Foundation, a learner may study the Diplomas in any order and go straight to their specialism.

Principal Academy 2.0 Diploma Courses

Global & Regional Variants

Academy 2.0 courses are built on a Global core with regional variants where legislation differs—for example FOU (Australia) and regional editions of LAC for Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. Courses are delivered in English, Arabic, Bahasa, Brazilian Portuguese, and Simplified Chinese, with online examinations available in the same languages.

Foundation awareness courses: LEEA also publishes the open-access End User Guidance (EUG) course and the members-only Introduction to Lifting Equipment (ILE) course, both launched on Global Lifting Awareness Day (7 July 2022). These sit below Foundation level and require no assessment commitment.

---

2. The TEAM Card: Evidence of Current Qualification

A TEAM Card is available to a person who holds a LEEA Diploma or Advanced Programme qualification and is directly employed by a full LEEA member:

• What it is: A card that lists the holder's LEEA qualification(s) and validates their currency—an industry-recognized way for employers, clients, and site gatekeepers to confirm that an inspector or examiner holds current LEEA qualifications.
• Validity period: 3 years from the initial awarding date.
• Revalidation: Every 3 years the holder is invited to complete a short online refresher course in the LEEA eLearning Academy. The refresher provides new information supporting the holder's specific qualification(s) and tests essential underpinning knowledge. On completion, LEEA updates the expiry data virtually on the current one-time-issued card.
• Verification: LEEA provides an online card-verification service ("Verify Team Card" at leeaint.com) so third parties can confirm a card is genuine and current.

Why the 3-Year Refresh Matters

Standards, statutes, and best practice change: the refresher cycle ensures a TEAM Card holder's knowledge tracks current documents (for example, revised BS EN standards or updated LEEA technical requirements). An expired card does not prove current competence—duty holders vetting a Competent Person should always check the card's validity date.

The Academy 2.0 eLearning Platform

All Academy 2.0 courses—including the Foundation—are delivered on LEEA's eLearning platform for members, so training can be carried out when learners want, how they want, and for as long as they want. The platform suits any device and offers offline study capability with auto-sync updates when the device reconnects, which matters for site-based learners without reliable connectivity. Classroom and virtual-classroom routes remain available for those who prefer facilitated delivery.

Employer Verification Duties

Because the Foundation Certificate does not itself confer inspection competence, employers building an inspection team should:

1. Confirm which Diploma(s) a candidate holds, not merely that they "have a LEEA certificate".
2. Verify the TEAM Card is genuine and in date using LEEA's online verification service.
3. Confirm the holder's specialism matches the equipment they will examine (for example, a BGC-qualified examiner for overhead cranes, an LAC-qualified examiner for slings and shackles).
4. Record refresher expiry dates and schedule revalidation before the 3-year deadline.

---

3. Planning a Typical Route

Because the Foundation Certificate is the single gateway into every route, the assessment you are preparing for now is the key that unlocks the entire pathway.