SSCT training for CSE members: duration, syllabus and 2026 rules

Health, safety and working conditions training — known in France as SSCT training — is the core skill set of every elected member of the CSE (comité social et économique, the French works council). Provided for by article L. 2315-18 of the Labour Code, it is a right of every member of the staff delegation — and, for training providers, a recurring market whose access was radically simplified by the removal of the prefectoral accreditation in May 2026. Here are the complete rules applicable in 2026: beneficiaries, durations, content, request procedure and conditions for delivering it.

Who is entitled to SSCT training?

The scope is broad, and often underestimated: SSCT training benefits all members of the CSE staff delegation, titular and substitute members alike, in every company that has a committee — so from 11 employees upwards. Unlike the economic training course, reserved for titular members in companies with at least 50 employees, no headcount threshold restricts the right to SSCT training.

The sexual harassment officer appointed by the CSE from among its members also benefits from this training in order to carry out their duties — a specific case we cover in our article on training the CSE sexual harassment officer.

Durations: 5 days, 3 days or 5 days depending on the case

The Labour Code sets precise minimum durations:

Situation	SSCT training duration
First mandate	5 days minimum
Mandate renewal	3 days
Renewal, member of the SSCT commission (company with 300+ employees)	5 days

These are legal minima for the first mandate: nothing prevents going further, but a provider offering fewer than five days to first-mandate members is selling a service that falls short of the beneficiaries’ legal rights.

What an SSCT syllabus should contain

The purpose of the training is functional: enabling elected members to actually perform their prevention duties. In practice, a serious programme covers:

• the legal framework of occupational health and safety: employer obligations, the role of the CSE and its SSCT commission, inspections and inquiries;
• identifying and analysing occupational risks: reading the single risk-assessment document, methods for analysing workplace accidents and real work situations;
• prevention methods: general principles, action plans, follow-up of measures;
• exercising the mandate: preparing meetings, the right of alert, working with prevention and occupational health services.

On format, the research converges. The systematic review by Lynda Robson and co-authors on the effectiveness of occupational health and safety training, published in 2012 in the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, concludes that such training genuinely improves participants’ prevention behaviours (see the study). And the meta-analysis by Michael Burke and co-authors published in 2006 in the American Journal of Public Health shows that the most engaging formats — case studies, simulations, active participation — produce better learning and safety behaviours than passive lectures (see the study). An SSCT programme built on anonymised real-accident analysis and inspection exercises therefore has a double advantage: pedagogical and commercial.

The procedure: request 30 days ahead, tightly framed refusal

The training leave must be requested from the employer at least 30 days before the course starts, stating the date, duration, price and name of the provider. The employer may only refuse if the member’s absence would have detrimental consequences for production or the smooth running of the company; the refusal must be reasoned and notified within eight days, and it only amounts to a postponement — the training must then be rescheduled within a maximum of six months.

Time spent in training is counted as paid working time; it is not deducted from delegation hours.

Who pays, and within what limits?

SSCT training is funded by the employer, covering course fees, travel and accommodation, within precise regulatory limits: course fees are covered up to 36 times the hourly minimum wage (SMIC) per day and per trainee, travel on the basis of second-class rail fares, accommodation up to the civil-service mission allowance. We break down these caps — and their consequences for a provider’s pricing — in our article “CSE member training: who pays for what?”.

No public or pooled funds enter this circuit: Qualiopi is therefore not a legal requirement for selling SSCT training, even though the certification remains a credibility signal many buyers check.

Who may deliver SSCT training in 2026?

This is the year’s big change: since article 5 of law n° 2026-403 of 26 May 2026 on the simplification of economic life, the prefectoral accreditation (processed by the DREETS, the regional labour authority) and the national list set by ministerial order have been abolished. A valid NDA (registered activity declaration number) is now enough to deliver both SSCT training and the members’ economic course.

For a provider, market access is therefore immediate — but the disappearance of the administrative filter shifts the burden to proof: detailed programmes, trainers experienced in risk prevention, references. What the DREETS used to check in the accreditation file, the buyer now checks directly. The full picture of the scheme — history of the accreditation, how it fits with Qualiopi, frequent questions — is on our CSE / SSCT approval overview.

Take action

Positioning your organisation on SSCT training for elected members no longer requires an accreditation, but it does demand an impeccable file: programmes matching the legal durations, prices aligned with the funding caps, evidence of your trainers’ qualifications. See our complete CSE / SSCT approval overview for the full framework — and download our free guide there to structure your offer step by step.