TREND - 5th Edition

IN TREND THIS SEASON. Welcome from TFS

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Train Using SMART Objectives

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Considering the Environment

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Research A Chat with Jenny McIntyre

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Educate Selling Skills

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Let’s Talk NEBOSH

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The Importance of Workwear & PPE

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Nurture New Year’s Resolutions—It’s a Mindset Thing!

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Mental Health Awareness

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Develop Lowmac’s Kickstarters Stories

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What’s Happening at TFS?

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Dates For Your Diary

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HEY EVERYONE! Welcome to 2022! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year and you’re back ready to conquer what this year has to bring.

As always there’s been lots happening at TFS over the last few months as we continue to drive home our values – Commit, Engage, Invest.

This edition of TREND marks a very special occasion for us here at TFS as we celebrate our second birthday. Last year we worked extremely hard and achieved milestone after milestone, 2022 will be no different as we focus on growth.

My new obsession over the last few months has been the aggregation of marginal gains, and as a team we have broken down every single process that we work with to analyse where we can make both small and large improvements in order to provide an even better service and training delivery.

This TREND edition is absolutely jam packed with all the latest industry news and we look at topics such as selling skills, mindset, NEBOSH, environment and sustainability, SMART objectives, Kick Starts and more As always, we’d love for you to join our TREND community and get involved so please feel free to let us know what’s been going on, what your organisation has been up to, or even just a wee snippet of good news!

Speak soon,

Jenny McIntyre | Managing Director 3

Train |

Using SMART Objectives

As businesses continue to struggle to combat the current skills gap in construction, development and upskilling of staff has never been so important. With this, businesses must ensure that Continuous Personal Development Plans (CPD) include a clear strategy and structure so that both the employee and employer have a clear pathway for training and end goals. This can be achieved by adopting SMART objectives.

What does SMART mean?

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound. Using this acronym when setting goals or objectives for staff creates an environment of accountability for both the employee and employer as well as ensuring that there is clear understanding of development plans.

SPECIFIC

MEASURABLE

Specific objectives create a clear aim for employees. Vague goals or objectives can hinder any real progress or development as an employee will be unclear of what is expected of them.

Ensuring that objectives are measurable means both the employee and employer can track progress and determine whether the objective has been achieved.

A question to ask yourself when setting an objective: Does the objective say what success will look like and how it will be measured?

A question to ask yourself when setting an objective: Is the objective clear and precise?

ACHIEVABLE Objectives that can’t be seen as achievable set employees up for a fall. Unrealistic objectives will never be successful and risk having a direct impact on employee morale and productivity A question to ask yourself when setting an objective: Is the objective realistically achievable (but not too easily) taking into account timeframe, resources and support that is available?

RELEVANT

TIMEBOUND

Objectives must be relevant both to the employee’s development journey as well as the overall business objectives.

By setting clear deadlines within objectives it is possible to give employees a clear timeframe and expectation of achievement.

A question to ask yourself when setting an objective: Is the objective relevant to what the business and/or team need to achieve?

A question to ask yourself when setting an objective: Has a specific date been agreed for when the objective should be completed?

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Train |

Considering the Environment

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought devastation to millions around the world, disrupting many parts of the global economy. Governments, including our own, have stepped up to protect lives and livelihoods.

But climate change has continued, and it ultimately threatens life on earth. While the impacts of climate change are devastating, COP26 events saw world leaders working together to create a plan of action for the future of our environment.

“At TFS we are always considering the impact our decisions have on the planet.

We are working towards a paperless standard, while also continuing to think of ways we can reduce energy consumption. We are promoting and raising awareness among our team with each team member choosing to either walk, cycle, or use public transport to get to work each day. We are continuing to work towards a greener future.”

- Jenny McIntyre, MD

The construction industry is one of the largest users of global resources and contributors of pollution, therefore it has a huge responsibility to aid sustainability. The construction industry must help to build a world that will improve the lives of future generations and use eco-friendly methods. Sustainable construction means building with renewable and recyclable resources as well as materials. Care must also be taken to reduce waste and energy consumption to help protect the natural environment around the site.

Sustainable Construction has multiple different benefits which fall under these 3 categories:

Environmental Benefits – Using renewable energy and building materials will help against climate change.

Plus, greener buildings will improve waste management and emissions.

Financial Benefits – Sustainable construction is often criticised for using expensive materials, but green buildings are often considered more valuable than traditional ones. Not only are green buildings achieving more value over traditionally built buildings but the people living in green houses usually find themselves saving more money.

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Social Benefits – Sustainable construction means improved health for the people who use the buildings, it also improves workers productivity during construction jobs due to them working in better surroundings and work environments.

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Train |

Considering the Environment

SEATS

NEBOSH Environmental Management

Who is the Course Designed for?

Who is the Course Designed for?

The SEATS Course is designed for Site Supervisors and Site Managers.

How Long is the Course?

The NEBOSH Environmental Management Course is designed for Managers, Supervisors and Employees who will be responsible for managing environmental issues.

1 Day Interactive.

How Long is the Course?

What is the Aim of this Course?

Classroom Learning – 5 Days or Distance Learning (Online and Classroom Learning Combined – 70 Hours (2 ½ Days).

The SEATS Course aims to enable Site Supervisors and Site Managers to:

What is the Aim of this Course?

• Understand the environmental impacts of construction processes.

• Understand the relevant legislation and how to regulate it.

• Understand how to achieve compliance.

• Understand best practice techniques to use on site.

How Can the Course be Delivered?

The SEATS Course is available throughout the UK, either as an open course or on a customer’s site.

What Certification will you Receive?

When successfully completing the SEATS Course, delegates will be awarded with a Site Environmental Awareness Training Scheme (SEATS) Certificate accredited by CITB, which is valid for 5 years.

• Understand the importance of sustainability in environmental management.

• Understand the role of regulatory bodies, national governments and international bodies concerning environmental management.

• Implement an environmental management system (EMS) effectively.

• Conduct environmental impact assessments, explaining the principles and reasoning.

• Understand and identify sources and use of energy and energy efficiency.

• Outline the principles of air quality standards and the main types of emissions.

• Outline the main sources of pollution and how to control them.

Understand the importance of minimising waste and outline how to manage waste.

How Can the Course be Delivered?

The NEBOSH Environmental Management Course can be delivered via classroom, online learning, or a mixture of both.

What Certification will you Receive?

You will receive a NEBOSH Environmental Management Certificate which is assessed in 2 different units.

Delegates have 2 years to pass both units, after that a Certificate is issued when completing both units.

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Research | A Chat with Jenny McIntyre Who are you?

I’m Jenny McIntyre and I’m the Managing Director of Training First Safety

Why did you start TFS? Training First Safety first started trading back in January 2020. I created, developed and launched the business with a vision of two things: First of all to create an unbeatable service that takes away the burden of booking health and safety training. And also to create a work environment that helps to nurture and develop our team to the best they can be.

How did you get on during the pandemic?

Within 3 months of the business trading, you’ll all be aware, that we entered a global pandemic and were all put into lockdown so it was panic stations for me. I very quickly realised that it was a time and an opportunity for me to really work on and develop the business so I threw myself into things like training, I did my instructors qualification, I learned as much as I could about marketing, I did as much networking as I could so by the time we were coming out of lockdown we were ready to hit the ground running and we’ve never looked back!

What’s been your biggest achievement since starting TFS? I think we’ve been very fortunate in the sense that we’ve hit quite a number of milestones over the past couple of years, and really quite quickly.

For example, we moved into our own premises, the team has grown quite considerably and we won Health and Safety Training Provider of the Year at the Prestige Awards. For me, it’s very much a case of celebrating the small successes and stepping stones along the way rather than focussing on the big achievements. Don’t get me wrong it’s not come without it stresses but to look at where we are just now every single bit of stress has been worth it.

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Research | A Chat with Jenny McIntyre Tell us about the training plans at TFS The continuous development of our team is something we take very seriously at Training First Safety. We’re always looking to take action to improve the performance of our team to not only help them but also our customers. So we do things like product knowledge, sales and negotiations and customer service. Not only that, we also focus on the individual needs of each member of the team so training can be very much tailored towards them. For example, we support our team members through SVQs and various different courses like that.

If you could give any advise to someone starting out in business what would it be?

I would say turn up even when you don’t want to, keep the momentum and the focus going, take risks, make mistakes but make them quickly, and if someone is better than you at something let them do it!

What’s next for TFS? Other than world takeover, I would say the next year or two is going to very much be focussed around growth and finesse but other than that I’m not going to say too much!

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Educate | Selling Skills Like most business skills - selling is also a talent to be learnt and developed.

There are simple steps in the selling process but now, with the use and impact of technology it is more important to understand our target clients and their needs from the offset. With the volume of data now freely available our clients know more about us before we even get to talk or meet with them, the issue being that they also now expect you to know about them in the same or greater detail, so the steps have changed.

At a meeting the expectation is no longer about you presenting to them your profile, your business and your product, they most likely know all that, they want to know why you are talking to them, how you are going to solve their issues, and in what timeframe (and don’t forget they want this at a fair price – well some expect it at an unfair price!) but that’s another topic.

That’s why a clear understanding of your uniqueness is vital.

Ask yourself the following questions: Why are you talking to this client?

How are you different, really different, from your competition?

Why should they give you the time to listen to you? and then why should they buy from you?

Competition is fierce, so you must understand what makes you stand out. It could be something around delivering great customer service, delivering on time, better quality, better warranties, cost savings, industry knowledge, better skills, experts, or something else. It sounds very simple but delivering great customer service is never simple, requires effort and planning.

You need to be clear on what it is.

Remember clients will pay extra for excellent customer service, making sure you never let them down!

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Educate | Selling Skills The steps in your then presentation changes to opening with your uniqueness and why you are there. Making it more interesting from the start. Move the company details to the back (you can ask them if they would like you to go through them first, and then just flick to the relevant slides / pages in the event that they say yes.

It is essential that you make all interactions with the buyer about the buyer, all emails, all voice mails, demos, presentations, everything you do to sell your product is about the buyers needs, you must therefore consistently ask what’s in it for the buyer, why is this relevant and customise each communication appropriately.

Make sure your presentations reflect the issue or challenge / problem the buyer is facing and how you will solve the issue for them, i.e., in some cases its new products/ products / service, remember most buyers have KPI’s as well and will need innovation, newness, better products, better delivery schedules, better margins, cost savings so they need new products / services.

Back to the steps. Step 1 now means you must clearly understand your uniqueness. Be in a position to discuss it in detail and to begin to instil trust - do what you agreed to do at the meeting, whilst remembering to follow up at all times.

Dr Barbara McCrory 07825992426 barbara@transform-consulting.co.uk

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Educate | Let’s Talk NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety

This course is particularly useful for Supervisors, Managers and anyone within a Health & Safety role. It focusses on 4 key areas:

How to effectively manage Health & Safety How to identify and control common workplace hazards How to measure if you’ve been successful The UK’s key legal requirements

Once complete, successful delegates will be able to:

Confidently carry out risk assessments Develop and implement a detailed action plan Manage and minimise workplace risks Support and develop your workplace’s Health & Safety culture

This course is split into 2 modules (NGC1 & NGC2) and both modules are assess slightly differently:

NGC1 – Open book exam NGC2 – Practical Risk Assessment to assess your knowledge and understanding

Again, once complete, successful delegates are entitled to join IOSH as an Associate member. It also meets the academic level for a Tech membership but this membership is also based on experience levels.

Speak to a TFS advisor today for more information!

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Educate | Let’s Talk NEBOSH National Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety

The natural step from the General Certificate this qualification is quite a bit more intense and in-depth, and although it is not essential, it is highly recommended that any delegate undertaking the Diploma has previously completed the General Certificate.

Once successfully completed, delegate will be able to:

Understand how Health & Safety legislation is applied in a workplace and the possible enforcement actions that could be taken.

Identify and effectively communicate relevant Health & Safety information.

Advise on a range of common workplace Health & Safety issues, including how they can be assessed, controlled, and monitored.

Develop a Health & Safety policy strategy.

Contribute to a risk management strategy Develop and audit Health & Safety Management Systems.

Manage contractors and supply chains to ensure compliance with standards.

This course is split into 3 modules which are assessed in the following way:

ND1 – Assignment around work-based tasks ND2 – Case Study ND3 – Case Study

Again, once complete, successful delegates are entitled to join IOSH as a Graduate Member, which can also lead to a Charter Membership.

Methods of Study Both courses along with the majority of other NEBOSH qualifications can be delivered in a few different ways and ultimately the best option for you will really come down to your preferred learning style, availability and budget. Training can be done via e-learning, virtually or in a classroom.

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Nurture | New Year’s Resolutions—It’s a Mindset Thing!

We all make New Year’s resolutions, right? To lose weight, get fitter, read more “educational” books, and so on. But how often do we fail to follow through on them?

Sound familiar?

Being able to stick to our resolutions depends on our mindset. But what is that?

After all, the term “mindset” is just two small words (“mind” and “set”) joined together.

Wikipedia defines ‘mind’ as “the set of faculties including cognitive aspects such as consciousness, imagination, perception, thinking, intelligence, judgement, language and memory - as well as non-cognitive aspects such as emotion and instinct”.

Wow, what a mouthful! But does this actually just mean that the word mind is merely a way of describing how we think?

And what about the word “set”? We might define it as fixed or unchanging.

Therefore, if we put the two words together, does the word mindset really just relate to our thoughts and the fixed way we think about everything?

Our mindset has been described as the foundation of our entire experience.

Everything we do, every way we respond, every action we take, starts with a thought in our mind.

It could also be further defined as our “Operating System” or our “internal processor” which determines who we are, what we do and how we do it.

And, perhaps like the ‘operating systems’ in our laptops, computers and mobiles, our mindset needs to be “updated” periodically.

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Nurture | New Year’s Resolutions—It’s a Mindset Thing!

But how did we “get” our mindset? The answer is that it was heavily influenced as we grew up by the attitudes of our parents and peers towards health, wealth, success, work, life in general (you name it).

We then “build” on all that through our experiences and interactions with others until we’ve “created” our own mindset.

And, because we’re “human”, we tend to end up thinking that our mindset is always correct and that anyone with a “different” mindset must be wrong.

Which, by the way, is the very definition of a “fixed mindset”!

However, the good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way - because we can choose to change (or update) the mindset we already have.

Resolutions and the “right” mindset We don’t actually need to develop a “success” mindset to be successful, or a “confident” mindset to be confident, or, indeed, an entirely “new” mindset.

If we realise that we’re not getting the “results” we’re aiming for, we can change our mindset so that we can achieve what we want.

So …. having made our New Year’s resolutions, can we truthfully say we’ll definitely stick to them with the mindset we already have?

Or will we be honest and admit that we need to change our mindset to have the best chance of sticking to them in order to get the results we really want?

Always remember that, with the right mindset, we can accomplish anything.

Even losing weight, or getting fitter, or whatever else we set our mind to!

Want to know how to change your mindset?

Willie Nicol, Contentment Life Coaching Website: www.contentmentlifecoaching.co.uk LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/willienicol-lifecoach/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/willienicollifecoach/ Phone: 07720 399 170

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Nurture | Mental Health Awareness

People often equate the words mental health with mental illness and there are many definitions of what mental health actually is. Mental health issues can happen to anyone despite social background, intelligence, gender or other factors.

Our Mental Health Awareness E-Learning explains the difference between mental health and mental illness. It covers the symptoms of a number of the most common mental illnesses so you will know what to look out for or what to expect if you are working with someone with one of these conditions. As well as providing some practical advice on how you can work effectively with those affects by these conditions.

Our course covers:

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What is mental illness and prevalence rates

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Symptoms of Bi-Polar, depression, psychotic disorders and schizophrenia

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Symptoms of anxiety, personality disorder, self harming

Give TFS a call today to discuss Mental Health training options for you and your team!

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Develop | Lowmac’s Kickstarter’s Stories A constant theme of 2021 has been the call from UK industry identifying skill shortages in the labour market. Not all job roles however require entry level skills, some simply need a candidate to follow instructions and adhere to safe working practices, such is the case in the waste and recycling industry where non-skilled entry level roles are available.

Although non-skilled, these roles require employers to give people an opportunity and for young people this requires an investment in training, mentoring and supervision.

This is where the Government Kickstart scheme comes in; the Kickstart scheme aims to help young people aged between 16 and 24 into the workplace after long periods of unemployment. Employers supported by the scheme invest in workplace training, safety training and equipment. This along with ongoing supervision allows them to focus on identifying and developing young talent over the 6-month period of the placement. Here at Lowmac Waste & Recycling, we are proud to be part of the Kickstart Initiative, working with our Gateway partner North Ayrshire Council to support our local community.

To date Lowmac have offered 35 placements and our experience has been largely a positive one. Those we’ve brought on board have been keen to learn and willing to prove themselves. Waste and Recycling allows a broad range of roles and learning in a vital sector. The work is hard and challenging but those Kick-starters that have remained with Lowmac after their placement ended are carving out careers in driving HGV vehicles, operating large mobile plant, social media, communication, and digital marketing but most importantly for our industry sector, waste management.

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Develop | Lowmac’s Kickstarter’s Stories Providing an opportunity is only the first step, it is the investment in ongoing training and development that’s the key.

Take Brandon for example, he applied to be an office clerical assistant, but it was clear from his interview that his interests lay in graphics, photography, and social media. We were so impressed we brought him on board into a role we hadn’t previously considered, social media and Digital Marketing. On completing his 6 months on the kickstart scheme Brandon took up a permanent role with Lowmac and while continuing with social media, he also provides IT support during our transition to a digital waste management system. His next step will be a Digital Marketing Apprenticeship.

Many of the Kickstart roles focus on the picking line, where our people separate recyclates from mixed waste. This is an entry level role into the waste industry but also for those with a career in waste management in mind. Importantly however it also provides opportunity for other career paths.

Most recently 2 Kick-starters have taken up full time roles and apprenticeships in driving goods vehicles.

Their work ethic paid off and they joined an existing programme at Lowmac to develop drivers from within the business. We are pleased to say that our Kick-starters are replacing 2 young men that have recently completed their apprenticeship and moved onto their own lorries. Given the driver shortage in the UK this could be considered as fortunate for Lowmac. We however prefer to think of it as forward planning, workforce investment, training, and support.

An integrated training programme from induction onwards provides safe and continuous development for all Lowmac employees and is key for any forward-thinking company.

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What’s Been Happening at TFS? January is a month that is often used as a time of reflection, looking back on the previous year – sometimes fondly and sometimes we’re glad to see the back of it!

For TFS, this January is about looking ahead. We are constantly working towards bettering our team, our business and hitting home are value; Commit, Engage and Invest.

The first big step for 2021 is investment in new office space. The team will always look back on our time spent at Munro Business Park with a hint of nostalgia as the first real space we could base ourselves but in one short year we have already outgrown that space. Our new offices are still based in Kilmarnock but are fully ours to call our own - Jenny has been having a great time knocking down walls! We are set to make the move in March this year, but will make sure the process is a streamline as possible as not to affect the service we provide our customers.

With this move, we will have a larger training room to provide our customers that are based closer to home. We were lucky enough to secure funding through the Digital Boost Funding Programme, so we have designed a state of the art training room that will enhance the learner experience as well as support the digital shift we are seeing in construction recently. We are working behind the scenes to create a schedule for regular open courses – so watch this space!

We are also really excited to announce that we are also working towards our Cyber Essentials Certification. Our digital security has always been a big focus for the business, and this certification will guarantee that security to our customers, partners and suppliers.

2021 was a big year for the team at TFS. Carly successfully completed her Kickstarter probation and has been taken on as a permanent employee. She is now working towards her SVQ Level 3 in Business & Administration SCQF Level 6 and so far has been doing an amazing job!

Robert and Jake, as of February will also be progressing as permanent employees and will be increasing their hours to a full time basis to allow them to manage more of their accounts.

Sadly, Sally moved onto pastures new at the end of 2021. She will be missed and we would like to thank her for all of her help throughout her time with TFS. We are buzzing to see what 2022 holds for Training First Safety, we are looking forward to having you along for the journey!

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Dates for Your Diary in 2022…

January 13th January 2022: HSE Inspector’s Guide to Improvement and Prohibition Notices 21st January 2022: Why Transforms the World – a Global Plan of Action 25th January 2022: Importance of a Single Source of Truth – Documentation, Regulations and Standards

February 1st-4th February 2022: Digital Construction Online 2nd February 2022: CIC Economic and Policy Briefing 25th February 2022: Opening Up Construction – Building a More Diverse Industry

March 8th March 2022: Building Safe and Healthy Workplaces for Women 25th March 2022: Placemaking and Regional Development – a Blueprint for Success 29th – 31st March 2022: IOSH Future Leaders Virtual Conference

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