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IN TREND THIS SEASON. Welcome from TFS
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Train New SME Funding
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Building the Future with WorkingRite Apprentices
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Research Is Construction Ready for Net Zero?
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Educate CPCS vs NPORS
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The Benefits of Onsite Training
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CSCS Cards Explained
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Nurture Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head
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Booth Welsh: Supporting Employees with Virtual Wellbeing
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Develop Hub South West’s Build Ayrshire Programme
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What’s New at TFS?
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Meet the Team
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Dates For Your Diary
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HEY EVERYONE! Welcome to Spring, and with that, the long-awaited warmer weather and lighter nights! As COVID-19 restrictions start to ease there is some light at the end of a really long tunnel. At Training First Safety we have been using the season as an opportunity to share with you all more about us, what we do, our vision and values and who’s behind the brand; check out our website and LinkedIn for more info.
January marked the launch of our first ever edition of TREND and we were overwhelmed with the response and feedback we received. Again, we have been working extremely hard behind the scenes to bring you another fantastic edition, and this time round we hear from even more experts in the industry to learn about all things new in our sector.
It’s been a very exciting time the last wee while here at TFS as we moved into our new premises and also welcomed Carly to the team to help us with the ever-growing need for training. Safety will always be our driving force and with our strategic partnership with hundreds of CITB Approved Training Organisations, as well as the UK’s leading instructors, we ensure you and your employees are competent, qualified and compliant.
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 4
Train New SME Funding The world of work has been profoundly affected by COVID-19. Businesses and organisations are facing unprecedented levels of uncertainty and change, and our new world of remote and blended working requires innovative thinking, new ways of connecting , collaborating and developing new skills.
Reskilling and upskilling form a critical part of response and recovery plans and SMEs can now access up to £5k support via Ayrshire College. The Fund forms part of the Scottish Government’s Flexible Workforce Development Fund and is open to SMEs from the public, private and voluntary/charitable sectors. Ayrshire College offers a diverse training portfolio tailored to suit employer needs and highly relevant for today’s environment. If you are a sole trader, micro or growing business employing up to 250 employees, register your interest https://www1.ayrshire.ac.uk/business-and-training/sme-support/ Ayrshire College is ready and open for business!
“This is a fantastic opportunity for small and medium sized enterprises to take advantage of government funding to upskill/reskill their workforce. We have attracted a range of interest from businesses and organisations across Ayrshire and keen to support more.” - Nuala Boyle, Head of Business Growth @ Ayrshire College
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Train Building the Future with WorkingRite Apprentices WorkingRite works in communities across Scotland - Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, East Ayrshire and Argyll & Bute - delivering a mentored training and work placement programme for young people to become work and life ready. Our programme provides them with the soft and hard skills needed to bridge the gap between school and a fulfilled and happy working adulthood. This involves an induction phase - preparing and Despite the restrictions, training young people for the area of work they want to pursue, followed so far more than 20% of by a mentored work placement in a business they are interested in. The the young people ultimate goal is for this to lead to an apprenticeship place, job or further participating in the education. For those that complete the programme – 80% succeed in programme have doing this. successfully begun apprenticeships. In the This year, during Apprenticeship Week, the focus was on preparation for previous year this was starting a placement and working towards an apprenticeship. Sessions 30%. were all done on zoom – and covered topics such as choices, perceptions, first impressions, benefits of working, planning & preparing for work, key skills & qualities, strengths and CV writing. In addition, many undertook online training – including the CSCS card, customer care, retail skills, manual handling, asbestos awareness and COSHH.
We rely on SME businesses in the local communities to provide the mentored work placements and it is because of the amazing relationships we build all of our partners – and their belief in the WorkingRite programme and our young people - that we have continued to secure both placements and apprenticeship places. And that belief means young people are able to build their future through apprenticeships.
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Train Meet the WorkingRite Apprentices Take Reis for example – who finished a work placement with a joiner in Glasgow in 2020 and started his apprenticeship with them. Unfortunately by Christmas, the business was unable to continue and in February he was desperate to find another joiner to take him on before the college had to offer his place to someone else. Through our relationships with the local community and the BNI network – we were able to find him a new employer - Mortons Joinery - and Reis is back on course. On the other side of the country – our Project Coordinator was delighted to find former trainee Nathan at his door to undertake the legally required PAT testing as per his landlord. Nathan secured an apprenticeship with Grampian Technical Services in 2018 and has now been an employee for 2 years.
The WorkingRite programme works – and we know that the 59 young people we are working with right now are building their future. You can find out how to get involved at the WorkingRite website— www.workingrite.co.uk 4
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Research Is Construction Ready for Net Zero? As climate change and the state of our environment, becomes a more prevalent topic of discussion throughout every industry we need to ask ourselves: is construction ready?
Initiatives such as the Future Home Standards are projecting for all greenhouse gas emissions to be net zero by 2050. As of 2018, the powering and heating of houses contribution to greenhouse gas emissions saw a reduction of 43% since 1990. As an industry, we have clearly been moving in the right direction, however studies conducted by Uponor, show that some within our industry don’t have much confidence in the deadline of 2050. Results showed that 5% of the 200 participants don’t believe that net zero new build homes could ever be possible.
The Future Home Standards sets expectations for: Low Carbon Heating Systems Energy Efficient Build Materials Electric Vehicle Charging Points Housing Developments Long-Term Supply Costs from the Clean Growth Grand Challenge
Zisis Nikoloudis, of Uponor, identified a combination of “skills shortage, lack of awareness and education regarding the more sustainable products, solutions and ways of working” as the biggest roadblocks facing the industry . So how do we keep the conversation going? Resources are plentiful , online webinars such as Overcoming the Initial Challenges of Starting a Net Zero Journey are helping us all educate ourselves and be a part important conversations. Check out Dates for Your Diary for this quarter’s upcoming webinars!
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Educate |
CPCS vs NPORS
Whenever we are asked for any type of plant training - Telehandler, Over-head Crane, Slinger Signaller, Excavator, Digger, Dumper – to we have two questions we will ask; Are your delegates experienced or novice? What accreditation are you looking for? Not always, but quite often the answer is huh? Or eh?
Generally, if you are looking for an accredited course for any of the above or similar the options are going to be CPCS or NPORS. But which to choose? NPORS – National Plant Operators Registration Scheme Founded in 1992 NPORS is a well-recognised awarding body in the industry offering regulated training and testing on a wide variety of machinery. They are also a partner scheme of CSCS, meaning they meet a standard of training that has been recognised by CSCS.
CPCS – Construction Plant Competence Scheme Launched in 2003, CPCS is regarded as the elite of accreditations. Like NPORS, CPCS also offer regulated training and testing across over 60 categories of plant machinery and are a partner scheme of CSCS.
On the face of it, it would seem there’s not much of a difference between the two. While CPCS is far more greatly accepted on some of the major sites across the UK it can also be considerably more expensive, especially if you are training more than one delegate. What people maybe don’t realise is that in 2014 NPORS became a UKCG accepted record scheme. Which means it is recognised to be the same standard as CPCS. Generally CPCS training/testing must be carried out a registered CPCS test centre (there are a few exceptions to the rule), however, with NPORS if you have the facility to carry out the training/testing onsite it can work out to be substantially more cost-effective when training a group of delegates. What’s important is to get it right for you. Imagine spending the money to have your workforce trained and tested under NPORS and they are then turned away from site because CPCS is the requirement. That’s where we come in. Give us a call today and we can talk you through how it all works! 6
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Educate The Benefits of Onsite Training More and more people are arranging training for their employees on their own sites and in their own offices. This method for training has so many benefits associated with it we thought we’d share it with the world! Cost
Flexibility
Sending your delegates to “open courses” has its benefits, of course it does. It means you can send one at a time when it suits, you aren’t then losing a full team for any prolonged period, the machines & equipment are all there for you to use. However, with onsite training you pay a day rate for the instructor (generally), meaning, if you have a full group of delegates to attend a course you are going to start making some big savings.
Taking the instructor for the day means we can arrange a date that suits you, rather than scheduling work around what dates are available for open courses. You want your training done on a Friday afternoon; we will sort you out with a Friday afternoon. You don’t want to lose your guys mid-week; we will sort you out with Saturday training. It’s all about making it work for you!
Bespoke
Mix and Match
Ok, so, there’s the generic “off the shelf” Manual Handling course. It’s great, it gets the point across, we learn about the relevant legislation, BUT your employees don’t lift cardboard boxes for a living. They move steel beams, planks of wood, lift objects up ladders and so on. So, let’s make the course relevant to that! It’s not just Manual Handling we can do it with either, most courses can be adapted.
You need 12 delegates trained in Work at Height, that’s a half day course right? But also, later down the line you know you’re going to need the same guys to do Abrasive Wheels. Well let’s just get it all sorted in the one go then? Again, there’s a bigger discount for taking an instructor for a full day than a half. Your instructor = your choice of courses.
Team Building Our courses are interactive, they involve the delegates. You learn better when you take part and involve yourself. There will, at times, be group activities. Having your training onsite, with your employees, carrying out group activities encourages team building, it gives them a chance to work together on things that aren’t the normal working tasks. It encourages a team to work together, it makes them stronger. 99.9% of our courses can be delivered on your site. We know it’s not for everyone, but it will be for some! For more info get in touch with one of our advisors today.
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Educate CSCS Cards Explained The Construction Skills Certification Scheme commonly known as CSCS is a card scheme that is used to provide proof that site operatives have the necessary skills and qualifications to perform their job safely and competently. In 2015 the Construction Leadership Council announced that the construction sector should promote the card scheme displaying the CSCS logo and accept no equivalent. The theory behind it was to encourage a “One Industry Logo” to provide employers, clients and contractors with a simple and consistent way to identify that an individual had met a set standard of qualification in their chosen occupation. Is it not a legal requirement to have a CSCS card, however, the majority of the larger construction sites will look for you to have one. It’s also important to note that the scheme is only intended for those performing a construction role. So what card is right for you?
There are 11(ish) different CSCS cards, what role you perform will determine which card would best suit. Advanced Craft Supervisory Labourer Manager Apprentice Academically Qualified Experienced Technical, Supervisor or Manager Professionally Qualified Experienced Worker (temporary card) Trainee Skilled Worker Full details of the qualifications you require for each can be found on the CSCS website. Each card is generally made up of 2 parts; A qualification A 45-minute touchscreen test Don’t forget Training First Safety are now able to offer a range of construction related SVQs! Partner Schemes… CSCS also have a number of Partner Card Schemes . These schemes tend to represent more specialised sectors such as; demolition, scaffolding and plant. So, for example CPCS, NPORS and IPAF are partners of the card scheme. Again, they are of a recognised industry standard and delegates must also complete the appropriate touch screen test in order to have the CSCS logo added to their card.
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Nurture Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head These have been turbulent times for many of us. The continual storm that is COVID-19 has affected us all in some way; as individuals, families, communities, businesses and nations. It is understandable, and okay, that these downpours have impacted us all at some point. As individuals we all have a different perspective on what's important - our frame of reference - but as human beings we all react mentally and physically to pressures and forces. Stressors such as finances, family and isolation can soak us like a persistent fine rain. If we don't realise we are feeling drenched this can impact our wellbeing and mental health. With us all experiencing this climate we can use the acronym, RAIN to help create our own rainbow within the COVID-19 clouds.
Routine.
Activity
Routine is important as it breeds familiarity, anchors us during choppier times and helps us cope with change. For many the working week rituals that comfort us with their familiarity have been lost. With structure removed, Monday to Sunday just becomes “day”, so we need to re-evaluate our routine.
Our mind and body are united therefore we need to consider feeding both. Activities like gym classes release chemicals such as endorphins and serotonin that can improve your mood and self esteem. For some, activity might be a coping mechanism that we need more than ever but cannot access. As the situation changes, gyms and groups are also adapting with virtual classes emerging.
If possible, keep the old routine - there is enough change happening elsewhere. Set the alarm, shower and get dressed, as normal. Even if the only person seeing you is you, a glance in the mirror can have a positive effect. If you traditionally commute to work, then use this time for self-indulgence. Spend quality time with someone but especially with yourself. Set the workday scene starting with your new office space, formally the dining table. Schedule your day with breaks, lunch and set a finish time. This will allow goal setting and the measurement of progress. However, plans have to be realistic or we are setting ourselves up to fail. If we have to support others, such as homeschooling, discuss reasonable adjustment with work. Remote working is not a new concept but our pressure storm clouds are.
From my son’s taekwondo class to household names like Jo Wicks and Mr Motivator. All are helping to manage the weather clouds by inspiring and motivating, and also instilling routine and virtual social interaction.
Research has found that lowintensity aerobic exercise for 30– 35 minutes, 3–5 days a week, for 10–12 weeks – was best at increasing positive moods
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Nurture Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head Nutrition can also be important for our overall wellbeing. Planning meal times and our menus can help stop the comfort eating trips to the fridge. Is it a coincidence that stressed spelt backwards is desserts? Just like any organ in the body the brain requires different vitamins, minerals and water to remain healthy and protect from the effects of oxidants, which can impact mental health and wellbeing. However, a healthy brain isn't just about minerals and vitamins - nurturing and rest is vitally important for our wellbeing. Virtual pub quizzes, listening to music, reading the book you bought years ago and good sleep can help with balance, mindfulness and nurture a positive outlook, which can break through the storm clouds that have formed.
Narrative
Interaction
There are lots of reports spreading opinions and suggestions regarding vaccinations, lockdowns, tier systems, the COVID 19 storm. As well as reporter and panellist opinions, social media is flooded with amateur epidemiologists all suggesting alternatives and claiming they have a secret source.
With us seeking shelter from this storm, business and families are distant. My son misses hugging Nana and Papa, and most of us are naturally social animals. Positive interaction can release Oxytocin and Dopamine which boosts our wellbeing, however negative interaction or isolation can impact both mind and body. There are many virtual platforms that can facilitate interaction and over the last month I have felt like Donkey Kong as I have lived on most of them. Focus on what has gone well, mood journals can be cathartic and if we find ourselves not interacting as we normally do give ourselves a break, these aren't normal times.
Rationing our interaction and working out fact from fiction, focusing on sources such as the World Health Organisation, NHS as well as government and council websites, can reduce the impact to our wellbeing and provide us with calm from the atmospheric pressures. We are all in this storm together, there is no doubting that. It is great to plan and try to self motivate but for some simply taking refuge from the rain might take up all their effort. We need to be kind to all, but importantly to ourselves and remember through these downpours we all have different size umbrellas.
Words evoke reactions, but 93% of communication is voice tone and body language, therefore being visible when communicating can be vital.
Please contact Green Cross Training, we do not sell umbrellas but we can give you the skills to use your own
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Nurture Booth Welsh: Supporting Employees with Virtual Wellbeing It goes without saying how difficult this time has been for everyone as the nation has had to cope with an extended Lockdown, the juggle of home schooling, time away from loved ones as well as a long winter. As we know, a large percentage of people across the country have been working from home during the pandemic with busy schedules and limited social contact. This was also the case for employees of Booth Welsh, an engineering technology business headquartered in Ayrshire. Over the years, Booth Welsh has invested strongly in workplace wellbeing and internal engagement across the business, winning a number of awards testament to their efforts here. Aware of the difficulties employees were facing, Booth Welsh held a virtual Wellbeing Week where they invited mental and physical health experts to present and deliver themed workshops. This covered a wide range of topics including fitness, nutrition, sleep, self-care, mindfulness and stress management.
“It’s great to provide this much needed support as we continue remote working. The aim initially with Wellbeing Week was to empower staff and families with tools to cope during the pandemic, however as we start to return to normal office life, we want to keep the good bits of what we have learned. The focus on wellbeing is here to stay and we plan to continue experimenting with new approaches that our staff enjoy to keep them healthy, happy and productive as we navigate post pandemic life.” - Aimee Doole, Marketing, Communications & Engagement Manager @ Booth Welsh
The week was kickstarted by a positively charged inspirational webinar titled ‘When Life Gives You Lemons’ with guest speaker Jenny McIntyre from Training First Safety. Jenny shared her tips for a positive outlook and making the most of these challenging times as well as reflections from her podcast of the same name which she launched during Lockdown.
Following on from the successful delivery of Wellbeing Week, the business has since partnered with a number of these experts to deliver a longer term wellbeing strategy for the company. This includes regular Lunchtime fitness fixes as well as live events sharing tips, challenges and activities to help boost morale and community across the business during this time.
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Develop Hub South West’s Build Ayrshire Programme hub South West, the construction and infrastructure-focused partnership which operates alongside local Authorities and private sector enterprises in Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway, has concluded its first exclusively Ayrshire based business development programme. The 8-week ‘Build Ayrshire’ format, is based on hub South Wests’ seasoned ‘Building for Growth’ programme from which over 100 companies from across the region have graduated. This programme was open exclusively to companies with a base in Ayrshire. The ‘Build Ayrshire’ programme aims to help SME’s take on a higher capacity of work and enhance their day-to-day operations by participating in weekly topical workshops led by our network of industry experts. Held in association with North, East and South Ayrshire Councils, the programme included delegates from nine companies across Ayrshire: Girvan-based D Horne Services Ltd, Training First Safety and Aynam Energy Ltd, both from Kilmarnock, Stewart ACR Ltd, Ceiba Renewables Ltd, and TeraPro all of Prestwick, Dundonald-based Dayad Property, Sanitiser Express Ltd of Kilwinning, and Dreghorn-based SF Energie/ Utilities.
Facilitators and topics covered in the Build Ayrshire programme have included Bidding Successfully with Paul Johnstone of 4S Bid Ltd, Corporate Social Responsibility with Gwen Blair of Kier Construction, Opportunities with the Ayrshire Growth Deal and Community Wealth Building with Allison Craig of Ayrshire Growth Deal and An introduction to Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce with Helen McBride from Ayrshire Chamber. The programme provides valuable links between SMEs and hub South West’s stable of Tier-1 Contractors, with the final event giving delegates the opportunity to present their business and have one-to-one sessions with key representatives from Kier Construction, Ashleigh Ltd, Morgan Sindall, Linear Design Construct, Morrisons, Robertson, Cruden, CCG and BAM
Mark Houston, hub South West’s recently appointed Supply Chain Development Manager, said: “Guiding companies through our first Build Ayrshire Programme has been a fantastic way to start my time with hub South West. “Each session has been packed full of information, expert knowledge, hints, tips, and healthy debate, and this has all assisted our participating companies in getting exactly what they needed from this initiative to help them grow and develop the capacity of their businesses to win new contracts. “hub South West has an impressive network of knowledgeable facilitators who lead our bespoke workshops, though the programme is only ever as good as its participants and what they gain from it. “I am delighted that the SMEs on our first Build Ayrshire programme have embraced all that our programme has to offer, and it has been great to get to know each business over the last eight weeks.”
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Develop
| What’s New at TFS?
It’s been a busy quarter here at Training First Safety as we continue to grow and develop consistently and steadily.
The biggest step for us was most definitely the move into our new premises and we were all thrilled to get the keys and get settled in! This was a really important move for us, bringing the team together, and also being able to offer training to all of our local customers in our new training room. People are at the heart and soul of everything we do, so as things begin to return to some form of normality we are so excited to be able to open our doors and welcome in the world.
Next up, we were involved in an 8 week programme - Build Ayrshire run by hub South West, and what a fantastic experience that was for us. The perfect opportunity for us to review and reflect on every area of the business, the services we are providing, as well as build a stronger local network within our industry. The final week allowed us a chance to present and showcase Training First Safety to many of Hub South West’s Tier 1 contractors which was an extremely nerve wracking but invaluable exercise - we even managed a sneaky second place for our efforts!
Moving forward we have now been accepted for the Flexible Workforce Development Fund through Ayrshire College which is going to be another great opportunity for us to further develop our knowledge and skills as both individuals and a team. Some of the courses we will be attending are; Process Mapping, Project Management, Leadership and Management and Customer Service. We are always talking about training being our driving force so that we can always be bettering ourselves and the service we are able to offer you.
Training First Safety has pledged to Commit, Engage and Invest in not only our people, but yours too, and we’d love you to be involved in our journey.
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Meet the Team Hello, My name is Carly Mccleary, I’m 22 years old and I’m happy to introduce myself as the newest member of the team at Training First Safety. In 2019 I did a course at Ayrshire College which was NC Level 5 Computing, I completed my course in June 2020 and have been passionate about all things computing ever since. I joined Training First Safety on Tuesday 6th April and my role is Administrator. Within my first week I have learned a lot of interesting information regarding my role at Training First Safety. I have completed multiple E-Learning courses over the past week such as Fire Safety Awareness, Display Screen Equipment Awareness and LinkedIn for Business. I’ve learned about Training First Safety and what they do as a company and how they are passionate about all things Health and Safety. I’m most looking forward to improving in my field of work as an Administrator, learning new skills and improving skills I already have. I also can’t wait to get to know the team more. I’m grateful for this opportunity and excited to see where it takes me!
Carly McCleary | Administrator 17
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Dates for Your Diary in 2021... April 20th April 2021 – Construction Law Webinar 22nd April 2021 – Avoiding Common Problems in Construction Planning 23rd April 2021 – BIG Biodiversity Challenge 2021: Hints & Tips for Success 29th April 2021 – Delivering Net Zero Buildings
May 5th-6th May 2021 – UK Construction Week Webinar: Online 19th May 2021 – Minimising Project Management Risk through Big Data Analytics & AI
June 9th June 2021 – Construction’s Race to Net Zero: Fact or Fiction?
15th June 2021 – Quality in Construction Summit 17th June 2021 – Wellbeing in Construction Summit
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WE’RE READY FOR THE NEW SEASON. As we enter a new season in 2021, we say hello to ‘SPRING’ and very much look forward to the change in weather and lighter nights. At Training First Safety we will be using the season as an opportunity to share with you all more about us, what we do, our vision and values and who’s behind the brand. We will also be launching our 2nd Edition of ‘TREND’, our new industry insight magazine on April 12th, and we thank you for all your support with our 1st Edit that launched back in January. Safety will always be our driving force and with our strategic partnership with hundreds of CITB Approved Training Organisations, as well as the UK’s leading instructors, we ensure you and your employees are competent, qualified and compliant. With a U.K wide focus our team bring their expertise and energy to support a wide portfolio of training provision including: Work at Height, Plant, First Aid, Power Tools, Health and Safety, Risk Assessment, Manual Handling. These are delivered on our virtual, e-learning, on-site to training centres so you’re guaranteed we’ll have something that will suit your specific requirements. If we can help in any way, call us on: 01563 573785 or email: info@trainingfirstsafety.co.uk
Jenny and team | #SpringIntoTFS
Training First Safety Ltd | T: 01563 573 785 I W: www.trainingfirstsafety.co.uk | E:info@trainingfirstsafety.co.uk
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