Any idea how much this would cost?
Years ago i had a Lorry Loader certificate which i gained when i was doing recovery work, so i am not a complete novice.
What kind of work do you want to do…?..Grab,Builders Merchants or cabins containers etc,
To be honest i don’t have any particular type of work in mind…just looking at acquiring another skill, or relearning a rusty one.
The trouble is there is no universally recognised qualification for this, there are companies who will sign you off after a morning but you could spend the cash and find that the next job you go for does not recognise that certificate and you are back to square one.
To operate a HIAB on a construction site your best bet is to get a CPCS card but be warned it is a lengthy and expensive process to do so.
Step 1. Health & Safety Touch Screen Test - approx £30
Step 2. Verbal Test, taped like a police interview - approx £100
This is quite in depth and requires the use of some fairly specific terminology, I was sent on a one day course in preparation for this (another £100)
and to be honest I wouldn’t have passed without it or the notes supplied.
Step 3. Practical Test, - approx £350 using own vehicle. Includes doing a full vehicle and crane check before use, 3 lifts all to be loaded and secured and
offloaded after repositioning the vehicle. Includes a blind lift using signals and load with an offset centre of gravity.
Once you’ve one all this you get a red card classing you as a competent operator, next you have do an NVQ within 2 years to get your blue (experienced) card.
This is just for the crane hook, brick clamps and clamshell buckets are separate.
This is the course for testing and certifying experienced operators, not raw trainees.
8wheels:
here is no universally recognised qualification for this,
Not even the RTITB one 
The RTITB Forklift certificate seems to be recognised everywhere…
Not if you want to operate one on a construction site.
You’d need either Rough Terrain Masted or Telescopic (under 9m or over 9m) or even 360 degree telescopic.
It’s down to the organisation in charge of the works, which certification they recognise. However a CPCS card or probably RTITB would suffice in many places. I don’t know the syllabus for the RTITB one but having done the CPCS scheme it’s not a card you can get in a morning’s work.
GOT IT 
- learn something new every day
i got my hiab ticket though my work it called "allmi " & its commended by the hse .i have no probs on any buliding sites & i do a lot of work for BP dont know how much it cost but it took 2 days to get & that was using the truck i was going to operate .