Guide · Updated 2026-10-02
Training Matrix for CDM Principal Designer
Principal designer organisations benefit from a clear training matrix for their own people and for checking designer appointments — who holds which qualifications, when they expire, and where the evidence lives. The matrix supports duty-holder processes; it does not replace them.
Quick answer
Track assigned requirements for principal designer staff (and relevant designers you appoint) with dates and files. CDM competence is broader than a spreadsheet — experience, resources and arrangements matter — but expired cards and missing induction records still create practical failures.
What to put on the matrix
- Named people in principal designer and design-management roles
- Relevant health and safety qualifications you assign (for example SMSTS, IOSH, NEBOSH where your process requires them)
- Client or project inductions when they are mandatory for site attendance
- Sub-consultant designers treated as named supply-chain rows if you track them
What the matrix does not do
It does not prove you have discharged CDM duties, accepted appointments correctly, or designed safely. Keep procedure documents and appointment records alongside the grid.
Honest limits
FieldClear organises assigned training evidence. It is not a CDM advisory service, does not appoint duty holders and does not provide legal clearance. Not legal advice — take competent CDM advice for your projects.
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