Please introduce yourself and your organisation.
Heather Scott, Associate Director at Centara Ltd. Centara Ltd is a Utility Mapping & Surveying company operating throughout the UK, offering a wide range of services. My role involves assisting in the daily operations of the company, with a focus on finance and HR aspects.

Why did you choose our e-learning courses?
We have been using High Speed Training for as long as I can remember. It has proven to be an efficient platform for our general training needs. The service is consistently reliable and prompt, with any technical issues resolved quickly by professional, courteous staff. Certificates are issued promptly after course completion, and the online management suite is particularly useful.

What specific need or problem were you trying to address by taking our training?
We needed someone internally trained to conduct routine legionnaires’ checks in and around our offices, as part of our SHEQ commitments and in compliance with our external accreditations.

How did our training stand out from other options you considered?
High Speed Training was our go-to choice, and we didn’t consider other options for this need. We were confident that the training would be adequate, with efficient access and certification.

How was the learning process for you and your staff?
As with all courses taken through High Speed Training, we found the content easily accessible. The ability to pause and resume learning, revisit material, and the end-of-course assessment are all excellent features.

How straightforward was it to get started?
Once the course is purchased, login details for accessing the learning platform are sent instantly and are very user-friendly, accommodating our employees’ varying IT skill levels. The flexibility to start training, take a break, and resume at the same point is especially beneficial, as urgent matters often arise that require immediate attention.

What specific outcomes have you achieved as a result of using our training?
Completing these courses enables us to fulfil our SHEQ duties, comply with our requirements, maintain our accreditations, and ensure our staff’s safety and well-being. We now have a better understanding of risks in the office and how to manage them.

Can you give an example of any awards, metrics or data to support your results?
The training has helped us retain numerous accreditations, including CHAS, Achilles UVDB, Acclaim, RISQS, DNV ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, Constructionline, and Builders Profile.

What feedback have you received from your employees or other stakeholders?
Our employees were highly satisfied with the training. They found the platform user-friendly, and the course content was thorough, providing all necessary information and resources for office compliance.

Are there any specific features or aspects of the training that they particularly liked?
Again, I can’t rate the whole process enough, from the learning platform, information, ease of accessibility, ability to break off and return at the same position, recapping, issuing of certification, to communication throughout.

Overall, would you recommend High Speed Training to others?
Absolutely! High Speed Training provides an excellent service for general training needs. The platform is extremely user-friendly for staff of all IT skill levels. Any technical issues (not that there are many) are dealt with promptly, and certification is available immediately after successful completion. For those odd occasions where the course is not passed the first time, there is the option to re-take at no extra cost.

The post Customer Testimonials: Centara Ltd appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

Please introduce yourself and your organisation.
Christopher Kirby, Health & Safety Manager at Timothy Taylor’s & Co. Timothy Taylor’s & Co Limited are a family owned brewery established in Keighley, West Yorkshire in 1858. The business has grown significantly over the years with major financial investment to assist in its continued journey in providing award winning well known brands to the general public. Landlord, Boltmaker, and Knowle Spring Blonde are just some of the popular ales that the business prides itself upon. My role within the business is to facilitate and assist the organisation as a whole to meet their legal, moral, and financial obligations as a responsible employer.

Why did you choose our e-learning courses?
We run a very tight shift pattern. Flexibility of the e-learning allows the company to make sure that we can still achieve appropriate standards of training for all our employees. The everyday operations within a brewery comes with its own hazards given the nature of the business activities, it was essential that the hazards identified were made aware to the workforce by way of training. High Speed Training’s e-learning enabled the business to cover this aspect of health and safety compliance.

What specific problem or need were you trying to address by taking our training?
The company wanted to expand on the current level of training carried out in-house by applying additional awareness programmes such as Working at Height, Asbestos, Manual Handling, and COSHH to name as few.

How did our training stand out from other options you considered?
I reviewed a few training organisations before choosing High Speed Training. Although other organisations were suitable, I had previously used High Speed Training in the past and the level of content and range of courses available were in my opinion just right for what our business needed.

How was the learning process for you and your staff?
The learning process was very straightforward. Each training module would be distributed through line managers who usually first sampled a particular course and then explained the process to their respective teams during team briefings.

How did you find distributing the training and tracking the progress of your staff?
The use of the Management Suite was pretty straightforward with training packages issued to employees visible and easy to track in terms of progress and completion. I really like the function within the management suite that confirms when a user has completed training.

What issues did you face whilst using our training and/or systems and how were they resolved?
There were a few issues at the beginning of our working partnership with High Speed Training. These were users unable to log-in to their courses, had not received their training modules, or had part done them and when attempting to log back on the system to finish their module was not available. When contacting High Speed Training for assistance, their response was usually within thirty minutes and resolved pretty soon afterwards. The root cause in each event was the user who had unfortunately not logged on correctly. High Speed Training were very professional and made no issue to these mishaps.

What specific outcomes have you achieved as a result of using our training?
The collaboration with High Speed Training over the last 12 months, since establishment of their services, I would say has provided our employees with an additional layer of education with regards to health, safety, quality, and food awareness. The business feels that given the additional investment of our people through the variety of courses on offer, we have not only satisfied our ongoing commitment to the welfare of our employees, but have given those who have participated a better understanding of the workplace, its hazards, and when to challenge poor working behaviour and/or arrangements. Our near miss reporting system has clearly shown evidence of this through the uptake of employees who are now reporting issues previously uncaptured by many of the workforce.

Can you give an example of any awards, metrics or data to support your results?
Timothy Taylor’s brewery is BRC Global Standard Grade AA accredited. This was achieved in 2017 where until that date, the business was specified Grade A. The business takes the responsibility of maintaining this standard very seriously with ongoing training, internal / external audits, inspections, supplier evaluations, and other functions whereby continuous improvements can be measured and applied. The duties of health, safety, and welfare also play a major role in ensuring conformity to BRC accreditation, with the auditor onsite requesting regular evidence of compliance within this area of the business. We are also one step closer to aligning our health and safety management system to a place whereby should we need to implement ISO 45001 into the business, the uplift from gap analysis to accreditation should be pretty straight forward.

How effective and engaging have you and your employees found the training?
Feedback from discussing the training carried out to date has proved worthwhile with a much more positive engagement from operational teams when undertaking review and implementation of workplace procedures, risk assessments, and other working documents across the business.

Are there any specific features or aspects of the training that they particularly liked?
No feedback on specific features or aspects of training were received in detail. We do know however that training in respect to PPE, Banksman duties, Working at Height, and Manual Handling have certainly stood out in terms of employee awareness given the increase in reporting in these areas whereby shortfalls have been identified for various reasons.

Overall, would you recommend High Speed Training to others?
Since using High Speed Training for a little over 12 months to date, I would say that the number and level of training courses available is more than adequate for our organisation. The support when required from High Speed Training has been tremendous and very professional. I would highly recommend this training provider to any business that requires their organisation to undertake e-learning to achieve their goals.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thank you High Speed Training for your support over the last 12 months. Keep up the good work.

The post Customer Testimonials: Timothy Taylor’s appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

Please introduce yourself and your organisation.
Janet Thomas, PA to MD/Personnel Administrator at Staedtler. Staedtler is a Stationery Manufacturer and Distributor. The UK office is a subsidiary with 18 employees (Staedtler has offices worldwide with a HQ in Germany).

Why did you choose our e-learning courses?
We needed courses which were not too long to complete, thus keeping interest, and which we could roll out to all staff to complete over a given time span. We also wanted to be able to provide the same training for new recruits as and when required.

What specific need or problem were you trying to address by taking our training?
ED&I was a training subject we had been looking into for quite some time – to find the right one for our small office needs. We had previously had a full day of talks from various members of the ED&I movements, but these, although interesting and insightful, did not really cover our needs and were too long to keep everyone’s interest. We needed training where everyone could access the same information in their own time and which could also be accessed by new recruits as and when required.

How did our training stand out from other options you considered?
The High Speed Training courses suited us perfectly, and with the Administrator portal, it was easy to see who was engaging and where the courses had been completed. We also ran the High Speed Mental Health Training for Staff and for Managers. Previously, just one person would attend a course and then feed back to other staff, but with your courses, the costs per person made it very accessible and provided everyone with first-hand training and information – training for the whole team rather than just one person.

How was the learning process for you and your staff?
The courses were very well received, and most people engaged immediately. The feedback from individuals was very good, with all feeling it covered the various sections in straightforward detail, not overly complicated to learn, and made issues much clearer. Also, most commented that the length of time to complete each course was just right, therefore keeping them more engaged with the process.

How straightforward was it to get started?
It was quite straightforward to start each training program, as it involved just logging in, and the ability to stop and restart where you left off is invaluable. It meant staff did not find it too daunting to have to sit for a few hours to get through it in one session. It’s much more appealing to be able to reconnect and train in sessions to suit, if necessary. Some are happy to complete it in one go, but the option is there to suit everyone’s needs.

How did you find distributing the training and tracking the progress of your staff?
The very first set of training we did was on Mental Health, and as the Administrator, it was easy to distribute the various training programs. There were one or two glitches where individuals had tried entering the training, causing duplicate records, but a quick email to the customer service desk sorted everything quickly and without fuss.

What issues did you face whilst using our training and/or systems and how were they resolved?
Once logged into the various training courses, it was extremely easy and straightforward. As previously mentioned, there were one or two issues caused by staff not reading instructions properly or losing their login details, etc., but these were very quickly sorted by the High Speed Team, with everyone up and running without any delays.

What specific outcomes have you achieved as a result of using our training?
We have been able to easily provide necessary training to each and every member of staff, regardless of position, at a very competitive cost to the company. As a company, we complete tenders for various authorities and agencies, and therefore we are able to comply with the many standards required by them. The company is committed to ensuring our staff are fully conversant in ED&I and Mental Health standards. I have also received feedback from some members of staff who found the Mental Health training very interesting. It made them think about how they were feeling and behaving, as well as making them aware of colleagues who may be struggling but not showing it. It has made the team more thoughtful about others.

Can you give an example of any awards, metrics or data to support your results?
The two courses we have rolled out to date are Mental Health and ED&I, and this training has helped the company compete when submitting tenders to authorities who require certain standards within the companies they deal with. So, this training has benefited the company as much as individual staff. We hope to look at more courses in the future.

What feedback have you received from your employees or other stakeholders?
As previously mentioned, feedback from staff has been very positive, not only for the content but also for the ease of access, the ability to complete in sections, and the time required to complete. All have stated how the information is set out in a straightforward, easy-to-understand way, and that everyone received the same training regardless of position.

How effective and engaging have they found the training?
Very effective. I previously mentioned an ED&I full-day session with speakers, which was far too long, took staff away from their jobs for a whole day, and was not as meaningful due to a loss of interest partway through, with too much information being supplied back-to-back and not in a straightforward way. This method detracted from some of the important facts and issues the speakers were trying to convey. The High Speed Training course allows you to take as much time as you need to understand the message.

Are there any specific features or aspects of the training that they particularly liked?
They appreciated that the High Speed course allows you to take as much time as you need to digest the information on-screen and to go back if necessary. Additionally, some found the ability to listen to the text being read aloud, as well as having it on screen, a positive experience. They also liked being able to complete the course in sections and pick up where they left off.

Overall, would you recommend High Speed Training to others?
Absolutely! The cost of the courses allows the company to roll them out to everyone, not just selected individuals. The content of the courses we have undertaken has been informative and concise. The length of each course keeps the learner engaged, as they are not too daunting. The variety of subjects available enables a company to provide all the necessary training to their workforce, regardless of their line of business. The customer service is excellent, and any issues (of which there were few) were responded to immediately – not always a given in this day and age.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
I was pleased to find High Speed Training when searching for relevant courses for our team. Being able to provide the same training to everyone (and to new recruits as and when required) in a cost-effective way has been invaluable. The High Speed Training team is very approachable and knowledgeable with great customer focus, which is very refreshing! Additionally, having the portal to keep track of people’s commitment to the training is a great way to manage it. We would definitely recommend High Speed Training.

The post Customer Testimonials: Staedtler appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

Please introduce yourself and your organisation.
Tom Peissel, Supply Chain Manager at Aerco. My role is to organise the supply and purchase of products for our customers, manage a buying, operation, and production team, as well as facilities management. This includes organising the training for each department. With over 70 years of history, Aerco is a long-established stockist and distributor of electrical components. Offering specialised products to manufacturers in the aerospace, defence, medical, industrial, rail and transportation markets globally.

Why did you choose our e-learning courses?
Ease of access and the ability to complete at your own time are key features of the online course. It was easy to find online, the booking process was made simple, and my team members could complete the tasks in a time-flexible manner.

What specific need or problem were you trying to address by taking our training?
The training my team needed was based on facilities management. I wanted a few people trained in how to complete the portable appliance testing. This is an area that has been hard to manage due to the large volume of testing and recertification required. We chose to have an expert in each area of the building, reducing each person’s workload.

How did our training stand out from other options you considered?
This course was different from the others advertised, as it was made very easy to access. Each team member could go online and complete their course and test under their own profile at a time that suited them. The cost was completely reasonable.

How was the learning process for you and your staff?
I didn’t partake in the actual training, but my team members were full of praise. They stated that the training was made easy and broken into small, manageable chunks. I think we will be using your services again in the future.

How straightforward was it to get started?
Super easy; it involved setting up a user profile and then following the directions given. You could even start, stop, and come back to it later quite easily.

How did you find distributing the training and tracking the progress of your staff?
This was also straightforward; each team member received a certificate upon completing the tasks and the course. They then showed this to me, and it has been logged in their training matrices.

What issues did you face whilst using our training and/or systems and how were they resolved?
There were no issues reported to me. Each team member completed the course as desired. One team member took a while longer than the others, but he was able to go through the training material a second and third time before resitting the questions.

What specific outcomes have you achieved as a result of using our training?
The business now has three certified PAT operators. The large workload for the business has been split into three, making this a far more manageable activity.

Can you give an example of any awards, metrics or data to support your results?
I am unaware of any data that would support this request. We received certificates once the courses were completed, but that is all. Our business operates under an ISO9001 accreditation.

What feedback have you received from your employees or other stakeholders?
All positive: the training was definitely up to standard, and the operators all feel competent in their job roles. It has supported the business need and at a price that is completely reasonable.

How effective and engaging have they found the training?
The training was very effective, and the operators all acquired the knowledge they required to pass the relevant exam. I have only had positive feedback from my team members.

Are there any specific features or aspects of the training that they particularly liked?
I think they liked the fact that they could complete the training material as many times as needed before sitting the exam. They could read and study each module more than once, as required.

Overall, would you recommend High Speed Training to others?
Yes, from a business perspective, it was easy to get set up, cost-effective, and enabled the completion of the required training in a timely manner. I know the team members who partook in it also feel the same.

The post Customer Testimonials: Aerco appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

Please introduce yourself and your organisation.
Estelle Willis, Assistant Quality Assurance Manager at Whitakers Chocolates Limited. Whitakers Chocolates Limited is a family run firm that has been around for over 135 years making over 10 million chocolates a week. Based in the market town of Skipton and famous for the After Dinner Mints, the business has now expanded to make products such as Dark Chocolate covered Ginger, Personalised Neapolitans, Flavoured Fondant creams and much much more.

Why did you choose our e-learning courses?
I chose the High Speed Training e-learning courses to fit in with the demands of our working practices. They are easy to book and allocate to personnel to complete at their convenience. The portal is user-friendly and keeps track of training records. The courses are easy to navigate, full of information, and can be completed in sections if required.

What specific need or problem were you trying to address by taking our training?
To ensure I fully understand working processes and fulfil the requirements of customers and audits, I have completed training courses with High Speed Training. The courses are informative, easy to access, and meet the required standards. Certificates are awarded on the portal and received in the post to add to training records.

How did our training stand out from other options you considered?
Being able to complete training courses when it fits into a busy working schedule is very important. The format is always the same and accessible to all. Being able to listen to the training or read it has extra benefits if you need to go over the material in depth. Offering these types of training courses to other personnel is beneficial, especially for those who may not feel confident attending an external agency for training. The cost of the training courses is a huge benefit to companies, meaning we can offer more training to staff.

How was the learning process for you and your staff?
High Speed Training courses are informative, and convenient for our needs. All personnel have been confident in accessing the courses and have taken several each. The portal is easy to navigate, allocate courses, and print certificates, which is useful during internal and external audits where we need to access information quickly. High Speed Training is available for any inquiries regarding the portal, which we have used when setting up.

How straightforward was it to get started?
The courses are easy to allocate to personnel; a quick demo of how to get started and then the trainees are off. Each section is completed before moving on to the next, and there’s usually a test at the end. All personnel have managed to navigate and get started on the courses straight away.

How did you find distributing the training and tracking the progress of your staff?
The portal is easy to navigate and allocate courses to staff. Staff all have their own login and allocated courses, which are then sorted into working departments. You can quickly find a staff member and look at their training records. You can also see what courses we have purchased ready to allocate, and these do not expire. It has been helpful previously to be able to bulk buy courses.

What issues did you face whilst using our training and/or systems and how were they resolved?
I have previously ended up allocating courses to the same person under two different usernames. I contacted High Speed Training, who helped me move all the courses onto the same username for that person, and now I know how to do this. I have managed to navigate the portal well; it is user-friendly, and if any updates are made, High Speed Training gets in touch with information and advice.

What specific outcomes have you achieved as a result of using our training?
Booking and allocating courses on the portal is convenient and quick. Training has been completed in quicker timescales using High Speed Training because personnel can complete training on site at a time convenient for all of us. Training certificates and records are easily kept. Staff have access to more courses, and the cost is competitive. Staff who are not as confident as others have completed High Speed Training courses and feel a sense of achievement afterwards. We have met all our customer and audit targets by being able to access these courses.

Can you give an example of any awards, metrics or data to support your results?
We are BRCGS accredited and these training courses have been helpful in achieving this standard. All areas of the site are audited covering all aspects of training, training requirements and training completed. Different types of training which is required to keep the business running to achieve product safety, legality and quality is available and easy to access, and has been completed.

What feedback have you received from your employees or other stakeholders?
Employees are happy to complete training on site. Less confident members of staff are pleased that they have the opportunity to complete training and feel a sense of achievement afterwards. Staff are encouraged to ask for training if they feel a need for specific training that we have not offered.

How effective and engaging have they found the training?
The training videos and text are well received by personnel. Sometimes, the multiple-choice questions are confusing and feel like trick questions. This can confuse some personnel whose first language is not English.

Are there any specific features or aspects of the training that they particularly liked?
The videos in the training are well received. The fact that our staff know they have passed immediately and can receive a certificate is a great feature.

Overall, would you recommend High Speed Training to others? Please explain why.
I would recommend High Speed Training to others as a reliable company that offers a great range of easy-to-access courses for good value. The courses are easy to complete, and help is available if needed.

The post Customer Testimonials: Whitakers Chocolates appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

Displaying and referencing our food allergy awareness posters in your classroom can be a good way to inform those in school about the dangers of food allergies, and the steps that both pupils and staff can take to help prevent allergic reactions.

In this article, we will provide you with a range of posters that you can download, print and display around your school to help promote allergy awareness in children and members of staff.

14 Food Allergens Poster

Any food has the ability to cause an allergic reaction, however, allergies to certain foods are more common than others. To help you remember the 14 named allergens which pupils are most likely to react to, we have a poster for you to use or display in your school.

Print out and display this handy poster in school kitchens, snack areas and around the classroom to make sure everyone is kept informed. You can download the poster below.

7 Steps of Handwashing Poster

The importance of hand washing cannot be understated, and maintaining high standards of personal hygiene is essential in preventing allergenic cross-contamination. To learn more, check out our article on the 7 Steps of Handwashing.

By displaying this poster in your school’s hand washing areas, you will enable everyone to follow a good hand washing procedure that will minimise the spread of bacteria. You can download the poster below.

Spotting the Signs of an Allergic Reaction Poster

If you care for a child that suffers from a food hypersensitivity, it’s imperative that you understand the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction so that you can respond calmly and appropriately.

Most food allergy symptoms typically start to develop between a few seconds and a few minutes after eating the offending food. If you’d like to further your understanding of the signs and what to do if you notice any of the symptoms occurring, take a look at our article on Spotting the Signs of an Allergic Reaction. You can download the poster below.

Locating Adrenaline Auto-Injectors (AAIs) Poster

Adrenaline Auto Injectors (AAIs) are used to treat severe anaphylactic reactions; you may recognise them from their brand names ‘Epipen’ or ‘Jext’. By law, schools can obtain spare AAIs without a prescription. However, they are not required to do so. 

If your school does choose to have spare AAIs, you should have a School Food Allergy Policy which explains how and where they are stored and detail the situations in which they may be used. It may also be useful to display this poster so that you can easily identify where to locate spare AAIs in the event of an emergency. You can download the poster below.

Displaying, and regularly referring to, food allergy awareness posters in your school, like those we have shared with you in this article, acts as a constant reminder of the importance to protect the staff and pupils who suffer from food hypersensitivities. This helps to increase understanding of allergens and can reassure parents or carers that you are working to create a whole-school approach to allergy awareness.

Further Resources:

• What Should a School Food Allergy Policy Cover?
• How to Spot Allergy Bullying
• Food Allergy Awareness Quiz
• What are the Food Hygiene Requirements in a School?
• Food Allergen Awareness Training

The post Food Allergy Awareness Posters for Schools appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

In addition, our company is featured in ‘The best 75 places to work in Yorkshire and Humberside’ and ‘Top 25 places to work in education and training in the UK’ – as voted for by employees themselves, with the full listing and final position to be released in May.

The listings come after receiving a 3-star accreditation rating, the highest accolade from Best Companies, which we feel is a testament to the hard work and commitment of all our employees.

Over the last year, High Speed Training have implemented a number of new initiatives to support our staff during the pandemic, such as company-wide wellbeing schemes, ongoing virtual support and virtual socials to support mental and physical health.

We have also introduced regular recognition initiatives through online softwares Betterworks and Perkbox. Staff members, as well as senior leadership, are encouraged to publicly recognise colleagues for their hard work and use quarterly allocated budgets for teams or individuals to claim “perks” of their choice.

To read more about High Speed Training & the Community During COVID-19, click here.

Best Companies

Best Companies has over 20 years’ experience in helping organisations measure and improve employee engagement using a robust methodology, with their accreditation standard certifying excellence in the workplace since 2006.

Join us in watching ‘Best Companies Live 2021’ which will reveal this year’s Best Companies to Work For across the regional, sector and national lists, as well as host the conversation around the future of the workplace. Find further details here.

What to Read Next:

• High Speed Training & the Community During COVID-19
• Online Training Courses

The post We’ve Been Recognised in Three Best Companies Lists 2021! appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

Whether you’re a parent, guardian, or often spend time around young people, it’s almost certain that you’ve heard of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. But do you understand how these popular apps work and how to ensure children stay safe while using them?

We have created Parents’ Guides for five of the most popular social media apps to help you better understand whether these websites are safe for your child to use. From learning about how the apps work to assessing the concerns over safety, you can find all you need to know by selecting the guides from the list below.

Parents’ Guide to Facebook

Facebook is one of the most recognised social networking apps worldwide, with over 2.5 billion monthly active users. It also has a messaging application, Facebook Messenger, which is part of the site. We explain some of the potential risks, like cyberbullying, along with how to use the safest privacy settings for young people in our guide.

Find our Parents’ Guide to Facebook by clicking on the button below.

Parents’ Guide to Facebook

Parents’ Guide to Twitter

Twitter allows you to send quick and short updates to your followers and, on average, 500 million of these tweets are sent every day. In our guide, we explain some useful Twitter terminology and outline some steps you can take to keep your child’s information private on the app.

Find our Parents’ Guide to Twitter by clicking on the button below.

Parents’ Guide to Twitter

Parents’ Guide to Instagram

Instagram currently has over 1 billion active monthly users, but it is reportedly the social networking platform that has the worst impact on children’s mental health. We explain why this may be the case and how the photo sharing app is trying to combat any mental health struggles in our guide.

Find our Parents’ Guide to Instagram by clicking on the button below.

Parents’ Guide to Instagram

Parents’ Guide to Snapchat

Snapchat has grown in popularity for a multitude of reasons, and statistics have revealed that 69% of all 13-17 year olds and 62% of all 18-29 year olds use the app. We explain why it’s so popular among young people and the dangers that come with using Snapchat in our guide.

Find our Parents’ Guide to Snapchat by clicking on the button below.

Parents’ Guide to Snapchat

Parents’ Guide to TikTok

TikTok has skyrocketed in popularity over the past year, reaching an impressive 500 million active users worldwide. In our guide, we explain how children interact with this video-sharing phenomenon as well as outline safety concerns, like exposure to explicit content.

Find our Parents’ Guide to TikTok by clicking on the button below.

Parents’ Guide to TikTok

Have we missed a social media app or website that you want to know more about? Let us know in the comments section below and we can look at producing another Parents’ Guide for you.

Further Resources:

• How to Respond to Dangerous Online Challenges: Guidance for Schools
• Internet Gaming Safety: Tips for Parents
• How to Teach Children About Healthy Relationships
• A Guide to Emojis and Texting Abbreviations
• Online Safety & Harms Course

The post Parents’ Guides to Social Media Apps appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

• Ensuring staff and volunteers are supported in delivering their services in the most consistent, professional and safest way possible

The Objectives

• To help develop and support the team in both their personal and professional lives
• To provide staff with a foundation of knowledge and skills that they can use to improve potential employment opportunities

The Solution

• Training that keeps staff focused and motivated during quieter working days
• Training courses that are both flexible and convenient for volunteers with varying experience

A Background on Sidney Street Cafe

Located in the LGBT+ Centre in Manchester, Sidney Street Cafe is a not-for-profit community cafe offering a safe social space to help people feel empowered and develop confidence. Since opening in 2013, the business has worked to generate awareness and income in the hope of supporting the life enhancing charity that they are a part of: The Proud Trust. Staff pride themselves in creating volunteering opportunities and providing training that may help to improve future employability.  

We caught up with Rachel Hall, the manager of Sidney Street Cafe, to find out more about the organisation where personal development and acceptance are encouraged for people of all ages and backgrounds.

How Important is Online Training to the Organisation?

With varying experience among employees and volunteers, Rachel emphasises the importance of online training in helping to manage the business. It’s vital for staff to develop the right knowledge on handling food in order to safely serve fresh vegan and vegetarian food made from scratch to members of the public.

But the prime importance of online training for Sidney Street Cafe stems from beyond the kitchen. The team aims to help volunteers working in the cafe to gain new skills, encouraging them to feel empowered to make positive changes for themselves, each other, and their communities. This echoes the values instilled in their partnered charity, The Proud Trust.

While using online training to help develop and support their team and volunteers, there’s currently a real focus on wellbeing in the light of COVID-19. During this time, there continues to be dedicated space for conversations with each team member on what areas they consider need support or strengthening.

How Has High Speed Training Helped Sidney Street Cafe?

According to Rachel, High Speed Training offer courses that enable staff and volunteers to reach the required level of knowledge:

It’s also important that the small team is able to complete training that is both flexible and convenient while running a not-for-profit business. Rachel explains that staff would be unable to deliver this training themselves every time someone new joins the team as they regularly recruit new volunteers.

What Courses Have Been Particularly Useful?

For Sidney Street Cafe, it’s essential for anyone working or volunteering in the business to be equipped with a foundation of knowledge on how to handle food safely. This is why Rachel chose High Speed Training’s Level 2 Food Safety for her team to complete.

Rachel explains that the availability of online courses provided by High Speed Training specifically helps the team as they can manage when and where is best to carry out this training. Staff are able to track progress and therefore, ensure that volunteers are equipped with the relevant information to fulfil their role.

What Can You Learn From Sidney Street Café?

1. Invest in Your Staff. Providing training for your staff can allow further skills to develop and help to instill a positive working environment where they feel able to reach their full potential.
2. Empower your Employees. Helping your employees to build confidence can also influence them to make positive changes not only for themselves, but each other.
3. It’s More Than an Online Training Course. Completing an online course can help to equip people with transferable skills that they can then take forward in their professional life.

We were delighted to provide Sidney Street Cafe with a training solution to help them deliver their services in the most consistent, professional and safest way possible. Take a look at our library of courses available for ensuring food safety in your business, or find our personal development courses here. You can also call one of our friendly support team on 0333 006 7000 to see how we can help you.

What to Read Next:

• How to Start a Cafe Business
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• Level 2 Food Hygiene & Safety for Catering Training Course

The post Case Study: Cultivating a Safe Social Space for Personal Development at Sidney Street Cafe appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

Why is it Important for Schools to Recycle?

In today’s climate, it’s more important than ever to understand the importance of recycling and preventing waste to reduce your environmental footprint. There’s already a momentum around reducing waste and recycling, but with the help of the education sector, the impact could be profound. Below, we explain some of the benefits of recycling in schools.

Educating Pupils

By educating pupils about the importance of recycling, we are inspiring them to think about how their personal actions affect the planet and their future environment. Learning about recycling in schools means that children are more likely to adopt it as a habit, helping to make them conscientious adults. This encourages students to implement their recycling tactics in their everyday life, helping to tackle the waste they produce at home.

Environmental Impact

Recycling can really make a difference to our natural environment. It prevents materials from being sent to landfill and in turn, helps to cut down on the energy and greenhouse gases produced when new materials are created. These activities have a significant negative impact on the environment, contributing to climate change. You can encourage children to do their part by following three simple steps: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Recycling 1 ton of printing paper, for example, can help to save 24 trees from being cut down.

Positive School Image

According to BESA, there are currently over 10 million pupils attending 32,770 schools in the UK alone. Undoubtedly, handling school waste has a significant impact on the environment, but it can also positively impact the attitudes of pupils and parents. By instilling a sense of environmental awareness in pupils, the education industry can inspire children to get involved in other environmentally friendly practices. This can be an attractive factor for the parents of prospective students.

Cost Effective

In regards to cost, there are some significant benefits to recycling and waste reduction which could be saving your school money. By handling school waste efficiently, you can reduce the amount being sent to landfill and therefore be better able to manage school budgets. You may also develop a small income for the school if you choose to send some of your existing waste to local recycling schemes.

What are the Different Types of Waste in Schools?

By knowing the different types of waste you produce in a school, you’ll be able to better understand how to reduce it. Here, we outline the four most common types of waste found in schools.

Food

WRAP estimates that education catering produces 123,000 tonnes of food waste each year, accounting for 13% of the total food waste across the UK Hospitality and Food Service sector. This avoidable food waste accounts to 253,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year. Often, food in schools gets wasted during lunch time, with some items barely being opened. Much of the food found in children’s lunchboxes also contain needless wrapping and single-use drink cartons. Of course, it can be difficult to monitor what food and packaging children bring in from home. However, you could suggest tips and techniques to parents and carers to encourage more sustainable food packaging habits. If you want some additional tips on how to reduce your food waste, you can find 21 ideas on how to do so at home here.

Paper

For the education sector, paper is the main type of waste, typically compromising at least a quarter of school waste. Education Executive found that up to one million sheets of paper are being used per school, per year, and a further £60,000 is spent on photocopying. In order to prevent this waste, you should think about how you can make efficient use of the resource. This may include things like using both sides of the paper, or simply encouraging staff to think before they print. Although you may continue to use a considerable amount of paper in school, it’s important to note that the majority of it can be recycled. You can significantly reduce the amount of paper sent to landfills by using a dedicated paper recycling bin in the classroom.

Plastic

Whether it’s plastic straws attached to milk cartons or parents using sandwich bags to wrap packed lunches, plastic waste is a huge problem for schools. It seems that the bulk of this waste derives from the cafeteria, but there are ways to reduce it. You could help to reduce single-use plastic in your school by encouraging reusable bottles and rethinking catering options. Instead of using plastic straws and cutlery, for example, you could encourage the use of reusable items instead. You may also decide to substitute things like sauce sachets with a large bottle of sauce to reduce this waste. Try and work towards creating a single-use plastic free canteen by finding alternative products.

Electronics

Electronic waste is among some of the most hazardous. The majority of UK schools use electronic devices, whether it’s a computer monitor or a printer. Under the Waste Electric and Electronic (WEEE) Regulations 2013, electrical equipment such as old computers must be correctly disposed of. This means ensuring any equipment is recycled, rather than ending up in landfill.

Electronics in schools often create a lot of waste. For example, printers produce a lot of waste like ink cartridges that often get sent to landfills once they have run out, having serious consequences for the environment. These plastic ink cartridges can take up to 1,000 years to decay, often contaminating the land beneath as they still contain some traces of ink. To avoid the dangers associated with discarding electronics as landfill, there are some great alternative options. Empties Please encourage you to recycle ink cartridges in exchange for a small profit, while UK Office Solutions allows you to claim free toner while recycling your existing toner and ink cartridges.

How Can Schools Reduce Waste?

The education industry is notoriously challenged for time and so, setting up recycling initiatives may seem like another time consuming task. Below, we have outlined some simple steps that you can take to improve your waste reduction and recycling.

1. Get your Class Thinking about the Environment

Children should feel encouraged to contribute to your schools recycling efforts. From going on scavenger hunts to find recyclable materials to challenging students to bring a lunch without waste, there are endless opportunities to implement fun ideas into teaching environmental awareness. You can find further resources to help educate pupils about recycling and reducing waste in our article, ‘Environmental Awareness For Children: Ideas for Teachers’. Use these free downloads and tips to get your class out into the world and thinking about the environment.

2. Set up a School Composting Scheme

Composting is a great way to deal with the problem of waste in schools. Before setting up your composting scheme, it would be useful to conduct a waste audit. This will allow you to easily assess what is thrown away and the quantity of each material. You will then feel more equipped to make better decisions about the type of composting system you should put in place. Going forward, you could even use your school composting scheme as a learning resource to study mini-beasts, gardening, and food waste.

3. Use Recycling Bins around the School

Many schools are currently using recycling bins to encourage children to dispose of their recyclable waste. It’s essential that these recycling bins are clearly labelled and accessible around the school. In order to encourage children to use these bins efficiently, you could ask pupils to design their own recycling labels to help them easily identify where to put their waste. Children could also create their own posters as an additional reminder.

4. Ensure Staff are Trained and Involved

Teach the Future found that 68% of students said that they want to learn more about the environment. Despite this, 75% of teachers feel as though they haven’t received adequate training to educate students about climate change. Therefore, it’s important to train staff about the environmental issues we face and the causes behind them so that they can teach pupils the same. Schools will then find it easier to get everyone onboard to tackle things like waste and have a more positive environmental impact. You can access High Speed Training’s Environmental Awareness course, here.

As a teacher, educating your pupils about recycling encourages them from a young age to be conscientious. This means you can inspire a future generation to be more green, as well as having a positive environmental impact as you do so.

What to Read Next:

• Environmental Awareness for Kids Quiz
• How to Reduce Food Waste at Home
• Environmental Awareness Training

The post Recycling in Schools: How Can We Reduce Waste? appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.