Adam Smith, Managing Director, Association of Industrial Truck Trainers (AITT): Whether for cost or convenience, many companies find that internal training delivers them the “best results”. But, how can they be certain without putting it to the test? In-house training is an option for employers that can be perfectly viable when supported by proper monitoring. However, we often find it lacks accreditation from an awarding body. While this isn’t an exact legal requirement, we recommend it as best practice for five very important reasons.
of Industrial Truck Trainers (AITT).
1.) Gives your trainers the supervision they need. Without an external body’s standards, there’s a real risk of instructors caving in to internal pressures to meet targets. This can result in cutting corners which can significantly affect the quality and consistency of your training.
2.) Makes sure no important details are missed. Typically, warehouse operator courses are split into basic training on equipment and practices (stage 1), followed by training on your organisation’s specific site and vehicles (stage 2). If these stages are condensed or combined, there’s a real risk of instructors missing important details. Dedicated training companies, employ personnel with extensive industry experience and broad product knowledge of many vehicle types and applications – enabling them to provide a greater level of detail.
3.) Offers a strong foundation element. Another issue to consider is the range of equipment utilised. If your operators are exclusively trained on the equipment used in their environment, what will happen when they transfer to other sections? It’s essential your operators receive training that is widely applicable. (Basic training is the qualification’s foundation element.)
4.) Allows you to train as and when necessary. It can be beneficial to have instructors on site, but internal trainers often carry additional roles, responsibilities and workloads. At peak times, this can mean a backlog of training. Because external training companies work on demand, they are available to offer you services when you need them.
5.) Encourages better cost efficiency. For many companies, training boils down to cost. We’ve found outsourcing your requirements can be very cost-efficient. External training companies are effective at adapting training to your exact needs.
For peace of mind, we can assess and audit the training being provided by your internal instructors to confirm whether they are meeting the correct standards based on industry-approved guidance.
Regardless of whether you use external or internal instructors, the most important thing is to make sure that they are accredited by an ABA training provider.
AITT
Tel: 01530 810867
Email: enquires@aitt.co.uk
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