A look at the positives during the Pandemic

It’s all too easy to get caught up in a negative narrative of the Pandemic, and whilst our business and staff have undoubtedly been affected by Coronavirus and the ensuing restrictions, we want to share some positive developments with you in this blog.

Accreditation

Both Alpha Training Safety Solutions and Rescue 2 gained their ISO 45001:2018 accreditation, and both have successfully passed their ISO 9001:2015 audits. As anyone involved in these types of accreditation will know, a lot of preparation and effort goes into the process, and we could not be happier with the outcome.

Alpha also achieved the Cyber Essentials certification which is a government-backed scheme that helps organisations protect themselves against common online threats.

Upgrades to our site

The summer saw us completing some upgrades to our site to improve the way our customers see and use the site: the yard outside our Head Office and Training Academy had new tarmac installed, and we’ve added a canopy over our Confined Space Training facility to protect our delegates from the elements when training outside.

IT infrastructure

An upgrade to our IT infrastructure saw us implement a new CRM system and HR system, as well as upgrades to our Wi-Fi hotspots around the site. These elements will help us offer our customers a smoother booking and training experience.

Staff training

As a business, we live and breathe training – and lockdown gave our staff a chance to work on their own personal development. Our team have completed a range of training courses, such as the C&G Safe Return to Work (COVID-19) badge, various ACAS Courses, 6 week Positive Psychology course, and now we have started a collection of L2, L3 and L4 ILM, AET, CAVA and IQA courses.

Apprenticeship

Following her apprenticeship in Level 2 Business Administration, Laura Pettengell has decided to do another apprenticeship. She says: “After recently completing a Business Administration apprenticeship, I wanted to extend my knowledge further and am now working towards a Level 3 HR Support qualification. I have learnt a lot so far through completing course work and audits within the business and am enjoying how this links in with the day to day duties in the office as it also includes a large variety of different activities. I enjoy being part of the Alpha team and everyone has continually supported me throughout both apprenticeships, helping me build my confidence, skills and knowledge.”

Changes to the way we offer training

We returned to in person training at the end of June 2020 and put in place a wide range of safety precautions and new processes to comply with social distancing and increased hygiene. You can find out more about training during COVID-19 in this FAQ blog.

In August, we launched our e-learning courses to help our delegates continue their training when working from home – over the next few weeks the Health and Safety suite is being extended to include Business Skills and Health and Social Care courses. We are also working closely with our customers to offer more flexible cancellation and amendment terms.

Whilst we live in undoubtedly difficult times, sometimes it’s worth reminding ourselves of the good news and positive things that have happened.