Posted By SC Hi, I wondered if someone could answer me a general query with regard to h & s training? I am not a H & S professional but I do organise H & S & other training within our company. Up to this point all the training provided has been off site & with accredited / reputable suppliers, however; a colleague has been contacted by an organisation who profess to offer a 'one stop' solution for everything to do with health & safety from supply of health & safety consultancy (currently supplied by a large organisation who also advise on employment law, exporting etc.) through to the supply of things like PPE. Apparently this one stop service also includes training. Here is the rub, my colleague has been informed by this organisation that they can provide training such as the CCNSG passport to safety refreshers, electric hand truck training & various other courses in house (all well & good) but taking a far shorter amount of time than some of our eternal course suppliers & at rates which I don't feel are befitting the skill of the trainer & the level of the training. Therefore what I am interested to know is what you as professionals would consider a suitable length of time to deliver courses like those mentioned above & what sort of fees would you charge? (If the latter is not too personal a question.) Thankyou for your time. S

Posted By Linda Crossland-Clarke Hi Also consider the course licences. IOSH, CCNSG, CIEH, etc all specify the length of time allocated to the teaching of these courses. If you are of any doubt, contact the licencing body and ask for learning hours then you can check this provider out - you can also check if they are direct providers of all these courses or if they are doing it through another company licence. AS a sub contractor they may not entirely be aware of the ramifications if they reduce tutor hours... Regards Linda

Posted By Gary IMD(UK) Hi SC, I myself do not think you can specify a certain amount of time, which will make delegates proficient. Some people grasp a subject in no time, others have to take more time. A proportion of this is based on their individual learning style. Rather than a consultancy, I develop and deliver specific training courses... DEPENDENT on their needs. I will not deliver 'off the shelf' packages, as every organisation or company requires different training. I once attended a course many years ago at a company I worked for which was entitled 'An introduction to H & S'... Whilst there were many valid points, such as accident reporting, manual handling, etc. We spent an hour on FLT's! Great, other than the fact that the company was an office, with no FLT's!! When I questioned why we were doing this, the response was 'because it is in the handout'!! Ask yourself, in terms of training... 1). what do you want your people to achieve as a result of attending this training? 2). At what knowledge/skill/behaviour level are they at now?... You then simply have to bridge that gap. And if you don't know where you want them to be... How will you know that they have got there? In terms of sourcing a training provider, then find one that 1). Has the KNOWLEDGE that you require and 2). (Most important here!) Has the ability to impart that knowledge in such a way that the delegate can remember and apply it! Please feel free to contact me should you wish to further this conversation. As Bob Hoskins once said, 'It's good to talk'! Take care!

Posted By Pete Stewart Is this not one of those scenarios where if it looks too good to be true it probably is? Obviously the new 'providers' claims have triggered alarm bells, so I would look elsewhere. Look at the content you need for your course and see if there is an accredited body that provides it, fare more credence and greater ability to demonstrate competence in the necessary field.