Posted By Barrie (Badger) Etter
Paul
If as you say the course was accredited by IOSH then as long you present up to date info to your course participants I'd thought you have no probs.
Badger

Posted By David Bannister
Paul, so far as I am aware there is no prescribed course structure or content for a manual handling training course. You will know what needs to be included, you will have your own preferred style and you should know what your customers expectations are at the tender stage. Go for it. Just for peace of mind you may wish to let a critical colleague take a look at what you intend to deliver.

Measures of success are repeat orders and lasting safe behaviour by the successful participants.

Good luck.

Posted By Darren (Daz) Fraser
An MH Instructors course will give you guidance on course prep and content.

However you can go one step further, by visiting the client a week or so prior to the first session, and understanding what they do. Then take your stock course and tailor it as much as possible to them, thereby more likely to be relevant, whilst at the same time making your presentation more interesting because you have to work a little bit harder during the presentation instead of just reeling off a stock item.

Alice, in answer to your question, it comes back to the word competence and the definition of. Having obtained a trainers ticket would IMHO demonstrate a greater awareness of competency. However if someone has obtained sufficient experience and knowledge over a period of time, would a course serve any purpose?

Personally I would look for some form of training certification and relevant refresher (most instructors are required to attend a refresher course every 3 years, as part of the tender process, along with insurance, recommendations/references etc.

Posted By Owen Needles
Apologies for jumping onto the thread by i'm looking to attend both a manual handling train the trainer course and a LOLER train the trainer course to ensure i give training to our staff on the safe use of overhead cranes etc. I'm in the midlands - so something local to Birmingham would be ideal. Anyone got any reccomendations?

Posted By jase37
Not commenting on the information requests but I attended a Train the Trainer course by a company called Osteopaths for Industry a couple of years ago and would definately recommend the company. Wasn't just the basic bend your knees etc. but in detail with the mechanics of the body. Gave a lot of confidence in the training.

Jase

Posted By lewes
There are a lot of good constructive comments here.

I started MH training our workforce last year and to be honest the earlier sessions didnt have the same content as the later ones but some of that is also due to continual assessment, feedback and evolution of the course. Both by me and the staff.

It is recommended that you actually look at the M/H activities that the staff does. I even contacted two manufactures of the equipment we work on and obtained further advice from them.

Its always best to run it past someone who has a knowledge of what you are doing and what you need to achieve.

Feel free to contact me if you need any further assistance.

Posted By Darren (Daz) Fraser
Peter

In the area where I live, manual handling courses range from £40 - £50 per person for 3 hours (open course with no practical), and an in-house course is between £35 - £45 per person (same duration).
By offering something tailored to the client at a cost per head less than this I can remain competitive (for a 6 hour course including practical), even after taking into account my overheads. If the client is in excess of 50 miles then there is an additional charge of mileage and if in excess of 100 miles there are also expenses for accommodation and evening meal. This is all explained in the T's & C's of any contract, and to date I have not had any complaints (if they think the cost is excessive they can go elsewhere).
These courses are run at weekends at the clients premises as I have full time employment, however even if this was not the case I worked out that I would be able to make a suitable living at my current costings (based on a minimum of 2 courses per week with 10 attendees at each), as I do not run open courses.
If I were to run an open course then the costs would have to increase to take into account the hire of a suitable venue, which would mean that I would be pretty close to the rates mentioned above.
Manual handling is not the only form of training I provide.
All courses have a delegate feedback form which allows me to continually develop both myself, presentation style and the courses to make them more informative and enjoyable.

As in any business, being able to offer something slightly different can have a competitive edge.

Most of my business is though word of mouth, networking etc, I do advertise occasionally (mainly in the beginning, local papers etc), but have found that for every 100 enquiries I have a return rate of approximately 15%. I have a tie up with a local independent safety consultant which brings in additional business, they receive a nominal finders/referral fee, and vice versa if I provide them with business.

I hope that answers your query.