Professional NPORS N016 training for compact 360° micro excavators up to 1 tonne, covering safe machine control, excavation, stability, daily checks and working safely in confined or restricted areas.
Select the route that reflects your current operating experience, from full novice training through to experienced assessment and refresher training.
Full NPORS N016 training for operators with little or no previous micro-excavator experience
Test-only route for competent operators who can already demonstrate suitable practical experience
Training and reassessment for operators with existing micro-excavator knowledge and practical experience
For business or group bookings, please contact us.
NPORS N016 covers 360° micro excavators up to 1 tonne. These compact machines are commonly used where access, working space or ground conditions make a larger machine impractical.
Training develops safe operating habits across machine checks, travel, excavation, trenching, backfilling, stability and shutdown procedures while accounting for the reduced size and confined working environments in which micro excavators are often used.
The course is suitable for construction, groundworks, landscaping, utilities and domestic-project environments, with on-site delivery available where the machine and training area are suitable.
The programme develops the core skills needed to operate a micro excavator safely, efficiently and within the limits of the machine and work area.
Daily checks, fluid levels, tracks, attachments, warning systems and defect reporting.
Safe use of travel controls, boom, dipper, bucket and machine safety systems.
Correct access, safe cab entry and exit, seat restraint and machine-start procedures.
Safe movement through restricted spaces, gradients and changing ground conditions.
Understanding ground conditions, machine orientation and stability during excavation.
Controlled digging, bucket use, excavation accuracy and efficient machine positioning.
Safe trench excavation, machine placement and awareness of excavation hazards.
Replacing excavated material, grading and leaving the work area safe and controlled.
Recognising underground services, overhead hazards, people and surrounding site risks.
Awareness of compatible attachments, connection checks and safe use of quick-hitch systems.
Planning movements and excavation where clearances, visibility and escape space are limited.
Parking, lowering attachments, isolating the machine and leaving it secure after use.
Course length and assessment route should reflect your current operating experience and evidence of competence.
For operators with little or no experience who need full structured training before assessment.
For competent operators who can demonstrate sufficient existing experience and are ready for formal assessment.
For existing operators who need a knowledge refresh, practical correction or reassessment.
Training can be arranged at our centre or on a suitable customer site with the correct machine and safe working area.
Candidates are assessed on both underpinning knowledge and practical machine operation.
Demonstrate understanding of machine safety, responsibilities, hazards and correct operating procedures.
Identify the required machine checks and explain how defects should be reported and controlled.
Move and position the micro excavator safely while accounting for ground conditions and restricted space.
Complete practical digging, trenching, backfilling and levelling tasks to the required standard.
Demonstrate smooth, coordinated use of the boom, dipper, bucket, slew and travel functions.
Candidates who meet the required standard receive the relevant NPORS operator certification.
Their compact footprint makes micro excavators useful where a larger excavator cannot work safely or practically.
Small excavations, foundations, drainage and restricted access work.
Garden excavation, ground preparation, drainage and hard-landscaping projects.
Controlled excavation where space, services and surrounding infrastructure require care.
Compact works in residential settings where access for larger plant is limited.
N016 is the NPORS category for 360° micro excavators up to 1 tonne.
No. Novice training is available for candidates with little or no previous operating experience, while experienced and refresher routes are available for existing operators.
The current NPORS training-and-testing ratio document lists N016 novice training at 10 days, with a maximum novice group size of three. The exact commercial training plan is confirmed when the booking is arranged.
Kent Training presents the Experienced Worker Test as an approximately 2.5-hour assessment route for sufficiently experienced operators.
Yes. On-site training can be arranged where there is a suitable N016 machine, safe working area, appropriate ground and the conditions needed to complete the practical training and assessment.
The current NPORS training-and-testing ratio for N016 lists a maximum novice group size of three candidates.
No. N016 specifically covers micro excavators up to 1 tonne. N202 is the wider 360° excavator category and may apply when moving onto larger machines.
NPORS is a UK plant-operator training and certification scheme used across construction, utilities, logistics, agriculture and other machinery sectors.
Kent Training supports operators across Kent and the surrounding counties, with suitable on-site training available for businesses with the correct machine and facilities.
Training enquiries are supported across:
Tell us your current excavator experience, whether you already hold NPORS certification and whether training is required at our centre or your workplace.
