The main qualification for the green card is passing a health and safety test which has come under fire for being too easy.

CSCS chief executive Graham Wren is now looking at ways of improving the entry-level card to make it a more relevant qualification.

Proposals under consideration include making candidates commit to extra training to gain the green cards so it becomes a “stepping stone” to higher CSCS card grades.

Wren said: “The rest of the CSCS cards are based around NVQs and relevant qualifications and we need to upgrade the green card so it becomes more aspirational and relevant for operatives and contractors.”

Changes to the green card are part of a modernisation of the CSCS scheme which currently has more than 1.7m cards in circulation across the industry.

Wren is hoping to phase-out older “dumb” cards for the new generation of smart cards which are readable by mobile phones.

He said: “Technology is advancing rapidly and we need to reflect that.

“Smart cards can contain all sorts of information relevant to your career and training.”

Wren hopes that detailing a worker’s training history on microchips in the CSCS smart cards will save contractors millions.

He said: “There is far too much duplication in the industry at the moment in terms of people taking the same induction courses every time they start work for a new contractor.

“Having that information embedded in the card will stop that sort of waste and help the industry improve its efficiency.”