Posted By Graham Sargeant My experience is very similar, I work in the tool hire industry, and developed the interest in health and safety, really to ensure I could protect my customers and also to protect the staff I manage. When I discussed doing the gen. certificate I used the benfits it would offer as a selling point, and was very lucky as my employeer coughed up the full amount and has been very supportive all the way. I also was worried I might be taking on too much, but the course I chose was a home study, which has allowed me to work at my own pace, and to understand fully each course topic, and am now booked to take my exam with a local college next year, and hope to continue my studies after. Good luck with your studies.