09 June 2021         News

Launched in Swindon in 2009, The Sandwich People aims to give homeless residents the opportunity to get involved and become part of a business.

The social enterprise scheme is run by the Salvation Army and creates the opportunity for people to turn their lives around, recognise their full potential, and most importantly learn new skills by gaining valuable work experience in a safe environment.

The Sandwich People

Develop Training has partnered with The Sandwich People to provide its delegate lunches at its Swindon training centre.

Louise Mitchell, Procurement and Properties Coordinator at Develop said:

“Here at Develop we’re always keen to support our local communities and with The Sandwich People providing a valuable service this seemed like the perfect opportunity!

The standard of food is superb. Our delegates always comment on how tasty and fresh their lunches are and there is always lots of variety. Emma, the Programme Coordinator, is always very helpful and flexible as well.

We would not hesitate to recommend The Sandwich People to others.”

The numbers speak for themselves

Many of the existing team of volunteers have experienced homelessness and are now working to help support others to turn their lives around.

Over the last 12 years they have helped over 600 residents back into a working environment, independent living, education or volunteering roles. Over 75% of those volunteers have gained qualifications in food safety level 2, and 25% have gained food safety level 3.

The team have also recruited 15% of those volunteers to roles within the business, ranging from catering staff to support staff – an incredible way for current residents to see first-hand that the programme truly works.

The team are also very proud to won Social Enterprise of the Year in recent years, as well as being recognised by the House of Commons for their community work during the global pandemic.

They have also managed to maintain a 5* environmental health rating for 12 years. Just a few of their incredible achievements.

Click here to find out more about The Sandwich People.

   07 June 2021         News

Develop Training is delighted to announce the appointment of Dan Sutherland as Senior Water Systems Lecturer.

With fifteen years of experience in the legionella / water systems industry, two-thirds of which was spent as a legionella risk assessor working for one of the UK’s largest water treatment companies, Dan has more than proved his wealth of knowledge and commitment during his six years at Develop as a Water Systems Lecturer in the Estates & FM team.

New role for Dan

After facing off stiff competition from a number of external candidates, Dan was thrilled to learn of his success and said,

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working at Develop for the past few years and have learnt a lot from Rob Griffiths, whose role this previously was. I saw Rob as both a mentor and a colleague and his guidance has been vital in helping me to become the lecturer I am today. I can’t wait to get stuck into my new role and continue to make Develop’s Water Systems & Legionella training the best in the industry!”

Dan’s appointment takes place with immediate effect.

   27 May 2021         News

Bright sparks at Develop Training have created an industry “first” with the launch of a blended training course for workers who handle high voltage electrical systems.

The course, titled Authorised Person: High Voltage (AP15b), was the result of careful research with clients following unforeseen changes to course delivery due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Develop Training, the UK’s leading accredited provider of compliance, technical and safety training, had transferred a number of its courses to virtual, online delivery since the beginning of the pandemic.

Positive feedback from employers and employees

As a result of the positive feedback from clients, Develop recognised that, while a high level of practical, on-site training was absolutely essential for many courses, some online provision was also useful.

Now, a range of “blended” programmes, comprising a combination of online and in-person learning, have been designed as alternatives to Develop’s traditional versions of the courses.

Authorised Person: High Voltage training

The first of these courses to be launched, the Authorised Person: High Voltage (AP15b) blended learning training course, has recently been piloted at Develop’s Swindon training centre.

Viktors Nikolajevs, Estates & FM Training Manager for Develop Training, said: “It’s been a huge success. The pandemic was no doubt the catalyst for these blended programmes, but the model has certainly won praise from both our clients, and learners themselves.”

An industry first

“The AP15b course is an industry first – no one has offered a similar blended learning programme for a high voltage course before. So we’re proud to say we’re first on the grid!”

The popularity of the blended training programmes is partly down to the added flexibility it offers to learners and their employers during the challenging times created by COVID19.

A number of benefits over the traditional approach

Instead of running the course over five consecutive days at a Develop training centre, learners now have up to two months to complete a number of online modules – in their own time – before having to attend the training centre for just three days.

Individual modules within each session are also reduced to a maximum of 30-minutes of online attendance rather than up to three hours at a training centre on the standard course model.

Viktors continued: “From an employer’s perspective, employees will spend less time off-site, therefore reducing travelling costs and overtime. It’s a win-win.”

A great learning experience

Industry employees who have attended the pilot blended course agree:

Ian Yates, Electrical Safety Manager for Welsh Water, was part of the first cohort on the pilot course. He said “there was a lot of technical information to absorb on the online theory section, so having more time to complete it was hugely beneficial as long as participants took advantage of the availability of course tutors online.

“It comes down to being disciplined. It’s important that learners schedule the time into their work diaries, then use the opportunities available to contact tutors – and they also may be able to ask someone in their own organisation if they begin to struggle with any element of the course.

“The blended course was a great learning experience, and I particularly liked the online part. I’d definitely recommend it.”

   26 May 2021         News

The Street (Road) Works – Safety, Quality and Compliance Certificate has been designed for those who set or implement policy, manage or supervise staff that inspect or audit street works, and for those that carry out inspections or audits of ongoing or completed street works.

NRSWA Certificate

The certificate was developed by the Training and Accreditation Group TAG on behalf of HAUC (UK).

Typically, Candidates will include those inspectors / auditors and their senior managers who operate on behalf of a Highway (or Roads) Authority or their nominated agent, on behalf of a Statutory Undertaker or their contractual agents or for an independent Street Works quality assurance organisation and also those contractors that operate under New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA).

This Certificate does not in any way, replace or supersede the existing NRSWA qualification requirements, as prescribed within the individual Street Works (Qualifications of Operatives and Supervisors) Regulations of the four devolved nations of the United Kingdom (UK).

Certificate modules

The Certificate contains three modules:

Module 1 – Legislation and Codes of Practice

Module 2 – Auditing or Inspecting Excavation, Backfill and Reinstatement Quality and Compliance

Module 3  – Auditing or Inspecting Signing, Lighting and Guarding Safety and Compliance

All three modules must be achieved in order to achieve the HAUC (UK) Street (Road) Works – Safety, Quality and Compliance Certificate.

   10 May 2021         News

Numerous changes to the IET Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing (PAT Testing) were introduced in late 2020.

The latest edition is a significant revision with new guidance on the testing requirements and frequency of inspection and testing amongst other aspects.

It will affect all business owners and duty-holders who own or maintain electrical equipment in the workplace.

Watch the webinar on-demand

Presented by industry electrical expert Robbie Macdonald, Develop’s on-demand webinar gives an overview of:

• In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (5th Ed.)
• The changes to the IET Code of Practice
• Why ‘Portable Appliance Testing’ is no more
• What this means for business owners and duty-holders

   05 May 2021         News

Develop recently ran a Mental Resilience and Wellbeing training course for colleagues at a major electricity distribution network operator.

One of the delegates was so enamoured with the training that she took the time out of her day to contact the trainer and let her know just how much the training has already helped her in her day to day working life.

Delegate feedback

I just want to say I’m really grateful that I had the opportunity to attend your course. It’s really helped me to take a step back and assess any situation I’m faced with in work. I deal with a lot of stress and anxiety, particularly at the moment, so this has been really useful and I’ve forwarded on these details to 2 of my colleagues in the business who tend to feel overwhelmed and very stressed with their workloads too! (as I’m sure the majority of us do these days!).

I’m currently studying for an exciting interview within the business happening on Tuesday (a big step up from what I’m currently doing) and even the deep breath technique has helped so much with my preparation work. The volume of information I need does seem quite overwhelming at times, especially if I turn a page and I’m faced with numerous policies and legal terms I am not quite familiar with!

I work on my studies after my shift has finished and I feel more confident already just by accepting the fact that I am learning, taking it all in and my brain will be able to recall – and not getting stressed and feeling any form of doubt!

I always have the attitude of “if it’s not going to happen today then it will one day, you did what you can” so my ‘locus of control’ has always been more laid back with the outcome I guess if I feel I’ve done everything I can to prepare!

I just wanted to take the time to send you a message this morning and let you know how much this has helped in such a short space of time. Thank you.

   29 April 2021         News

Developed by Energy & Utility Skills in partnership with the National Association of Drainage Contractors (NADC), the new Safety Health and Environmental Awareness (SHEA) Drains and Sewers training programme is designed for anyone in the drainage sector from front line operators through to supervisors and managers.

SHEA Drains & Sewers

This scheme represents an important landmark in the development of drainage contracting as a professionally trained, managed and delivered service and will also be adopted as a compulsory qualification for all NADC members in due course.

As with all schemes in Energy & Utility Skills’ SHEA portfolio, the new SHEA Drains and Sewers scheme is partnered with CSCS, giving the cardholder access to operational sites.

Compliments existing SHEA training

The new training programme complements the existing SHEA schemes already in place for water, power, gas, waste and resource management, telecommunications and cross-country pipelines, making a complete set for the utilities sector.

EUSR registration reduces duplication of training

Registration on EUSR reduces duplication of training for individuals working across multiple sites, saving them and their employers time and money. It is also quick and easy to become registered for any of the other SHEA schemes as the core content is the same and it just requires training on the additional industry contextualised module.

Further information is available here.

Available as in-classroom or virtual course

Develop Training offer the SHEA Drains & Sewers training programme either as an in-classroom training course, delivered at one of our UK-wide centres, or as a virtual classroom course delivered via Zoom/Teams.

About the SHEA Drains & Sewers Scheme

The SHEA Drains and Sewers scheme comprises of eight modules. Six modules are ‘core’ modules and are relevant for all utility industries and support workplace practice in relation to health, safety and environmental law. Two modules provide the drainage and sewerage industry specific content.  It is designed to provide evidence that an individual has demonstrated an appropriate level of knowledge, understanding and behavioural awareness.

Individuals must complete all eight modules and pass the SHEA Drains and Sewers assessment to gain EUSR SHEA Drains and Sewers registration.

It is an Energy & Utility Skills Passport scheme and does not indicate any level of technical competence or skilled expertise.

EUSR registration for SHEA Drains and Sewers is for three years from the date of assessment.

   15 April 2021         News

Andy Holmes, the brains behind our hugely successful Women in Utilities programme, recently spoke to Ollie Darvill on Erewash Sound Radio about the ongoing problem of gender diversity in the utilities industry.

In case you missed it, listen to the recording here.

What is the Women in Utilities Success Programme?

The programme is designed to accelerate the careers of women in the utility industry, provide advocacy and mentoring to support pathways to leadership roles, as well as strive to create a culture of empowerment.

In a nutshell:

• An advanced programme of training, networking and mentoring for women in the utility industry.
• The programme will provide qualifications relevant to the individuals sector/job role through 15 days of training (Valued up to £15k – at no cost to the participant).
• The programme will provide participants with a high level of skills including an understanding of the challenges the industry faces, global perspectives from various industry leaders.
• A network of mentors among leading women in the industry.
• Provide companies with a solution to training and CSR through this high level programme.
• Helps companies in the sector to identify talent and reach gender equality benchmarks.
• Become part of a network of alumni to then support the next generation of participants by becoming mentors of the programme.

   25 March 2021         News

Develop Training is seeing the first signs of success from a national training programme designed to champion women in the utilities industry.

The Women in Utilities success programme initially offered free places to eight female candidates keen to progress in this traditionally male-dominated industry.

Administrator to Contracts Manager on gas holder demolition sites

Now, the first woman to be accepted on the programme last year, Annie Thompson (29), is celebrating a major promotion from her administrative role with Northern Gas Networks to managing contracts on gas holder demolition sites.

While she still has further days scheduled for completing her training, due to delays caused by the Covid pandemic, Annie believes her promotion would not have been possible without the excellent support provided by Develop at its Derby training centre.

Squashing male-female stereotypes

And, after starting her new dream job earlier this month, she is urging any women with similar ambitions in any industry sector to go and do it.

“We need to squash these male-female stereotypes in this day and age,” she said. “It might feel daunting for many women to enter a traditionally male-dominated world – but it’s certainly not like it used to be any more.

I’ve had absolutely no negative reactions on site – quite the opposite in fact. And even with me being less than five feet tall, often tumbling out of those big vans, nobody bats an eyelid.”

The support from Develop has been second to none

“The training from Develop has been amazing, and the fact that they are willing to support women getting into these roles is just fantastic.”

Develop Training, part of the JTL Group, is one of the UK’s leading providers of compliance, technical and safety training. Based in Ascot Drive, Derby, it also has dedicated training centres in York, Romford, Swindon, Manchester & Linlithgow in Scotland.

Increasing diversity and inclusion in the utilities industry

The brainchild behind the Women in Utilities success programme was Andy Holmes, business risk and assurance manager at Develop Training, who recognised the importance of increasing diversity and inclusion in the utilities industry.

Just 17 per cent of the workforce in the utilities sector is female

This followed a study from the Energy and Utilities Skills Partnership which found that just 17 per cent of the workforce in the utilities sector were female, and 99 per cent of “craft” or technical roles were held by men. This compares with a UK workforce average of 47 per cent women.

Andy said: “Our Women in Utilities success programme is the first scheme of its type that we have undertaken.

“Straight away, we realised how important it was, not only for the eight women who agreed to take part, but also in the way it has helped us to re-evaluate our own training practices, to ensure they are as inclusive of as many people as possible.

“Everyone at Develop Training is delighted to hear that our programme has enabled Annie to get the job she really wanted within Northern Gas Networks. We wish her every success in the future.”

   22 March 2021         News

Develop extends a warm welcome to Sarah Fox who joined the Administration team earlier this month.

Based at the Derby training centre, Sarah’s main responsibilities include processing delegate certificates, liaising with various awarding bodies, and applying for cards.

Starting out in the hospitality industry

Sarah began her career at Derby University where she studied catering. Post-graduation she landed her first job in hospitality management at Derby-based, Mickelover Court Hotel, where after several successful years she unfortunately found herself being made redundant at the very outset of the Coronavirus pandemic.

After several temporary roles over the past 12 months, Sarah was thrilled to join Develop and continue progressing her career,

“Like many people in the hospitality industry, it’s been a really difficult few months due to the pandemic, but I’m beyond excited to start my new role at Develop; it’s a real change of scene from working in a hotel and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into a new challenge and working with some new people”, she explains.

Changing with the times

Sarah continues, “Everyone has been so welcoming and although it’s been challenging to learn the ropes whilst many people are working remotely, I’m quickly getting the hang of it all!

Something that’s been really interesting for me to see during my first few weeks is how Develop has pushed through the challenges of the pandemic and successfully adapted their training delivery in order to keep both staff and delegates safe, and still keep delivering industry essential training.”

Socialising and a spot of DIY

Outside of work Sarah enjoys spending time with her partner, Aiden, with whom she moved in with in 2019.

Together they enjoy fixing up their house with a spot of DIY, visiting garden centres, and socialising with friends and family (in non-pandemic times!).