Why outsourced forklift truck training is not always your best option

While outsourcing may seem like the easy option, many businesses do not realise that by outsourcing their training to unaccredited training providers, they are potentially wasting thousands of pounds each year. In fact, delivering training in-house and achieving in-house accreditation could not only reduce costs but also improve compliance and efficiency too, according to RTITB.

“We speak to many firms who have been outsourcing their lift truck training for years without stopping to consider if it’s actually right for them. What’s more, many businesses aren’t even aware that in-house training accreditation is even an option.”

Accredited in-house training can save thousands of pounds

“Quite often, outsourced training is merely an exercise to tick the compliance box, but the cost of courses, travel and certification all add up. Those businesses convinced that outsourced, unaccredited training is the better value option are often those who haven’t done any form of cost analysis recently!”

Get in control of compliance

“A cost analysis will often show that accredited in-house training is not only cheaper, but that it provides a return on investment and comes with numerous benefits including consistency, better control for the business and compliance. For example, in the event of an incident, how would you go about demonstrating and proving compliance if your training provider had closed down? They would not be able to provide you with the necessary paperwork.

“Similarly, what if an outsourced training provider you have used said they were accredited but in reality, they weren’t? Or worse still, they were accredited by a body who didn’t have thorough quality assurance in place and despite investing in accredited training you were still left ‘high and dry’ when things went wrong? In-house training accreditation by a body such as RTITB gives employers reassurance of quality and compliance, with solutions that help ensure training records are not only correct, but also that they do not get lost.

“To ensure instructors are qualified to carry out the training required for operators on site, RTITB also offers training and examination of on-site instructors to its high standards, supporting safety and efficiency, as well as compliance.

“Howdens Joinery is one example of a business that RTITB has worked with to improve security, safety, compliance and enable effective auditing. It wanted to standardise material handling equipment (MHE) training for 830 lift truck operators across four of its sites, so now all eight of its in-house instructors are trained to RTITB standards and approved to deliver accredited training.”

Solutions for specific business needs

“On a day-to-day basis, in-house training teams also benefit businesses as they can intervene immediately to address any operational problems. This helps to improve efficiency and safety and reduce the risk of an incident or damage to stock, lift trucks, pallets and infrastructure, positively impacting the bottom line.

“Every operation is different, which is another reason why generic, outsourced training may not always deliver the best results. In-house training means you can use engaging, business-specific materials that are tailored to all of the unique elements of your operation. “At RTITB, we support different types of businesses by providing customised lift truck course materials for various operations, from chilled and frozen goods handling, to high value consumer goods, to loading and unloading barrels and kegs.

“Although the right choice of lift truck training will always come down to the specific needs of your business, you should always ask which solution will help you to measurably improve safety, reduce risk, boost efficiency and increase profit margins – you might be surprised to discover that in-house accredited training is the best option for your operation.”

To find out more about accreditation for MHE training, visit www.rtitb.co.uk.