Survey on First Aid certificates in apprenticeships

The Arboriculture, Forestry, Horticulture and Landscape trailblazer group is responsible for developing the apprenticeships in the sector. In doing so, they endeavour to reflect the needs of employers and the wider industry in the standards set.

For the past few years, the apprenticeships have required all students to undertake a first aid at work course. To help give some clarity and consistency in approach the trailblazer groups decided to only accept regulated qualifications to meet this requirement. This has meant that other types of first aid training that aren’t regulated (such as St Johns Ambulance, Red Cross, or St Andrew’s First Aid) cannot be counted towards the apprenticeship. However, First Aid courses that aren’t currently accepted may be of sufficient quality and, if they were accepted, could widen options for employers and apprentices.

The trailblazer group is now consulting industry to see if this is still the right approach and what should happen going forward.

The trailblazer group has created a short survey, where you can give your views on the types of first aid certificates that should be allowed as part of the apprenticeships. It will only take a few minutes to complete, and we ask members to take the time to complete the survey before the closing date of 30 August 2024.

Take the survey here.

Background

The agriculture, arboriculture, countryside, forestry, horticulture & landscaping trailblazer groups are checking the approach taken to mandating first aid certificates in apprenticeship standards. Currently some occupational standards limit mandated first aid courses to Nationally Regulated Qualifications (Ofqual regulated) only.  Employers felt that this provided clarity and consistency in approach.  There are, however, courses that are not Ofqual regulated and are of sufficient standard.  This survey aims to make sure that employer requirements are being met without unnecessarily limiting choice. 

The trailblazer groups will consider the responses and use this to inform the approach to first aid certificates going forward. Any questions or problems please contact Ros Burnley.

The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations and employer guidance

The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 requires employers to ensure that they have enough people with the right skills to give first aid to employees if they are injured or become ill at work. More recent regulations removed the requirement for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to approve the training and qualifications of appointed first-aid personnel. The employer is now responsible for choosing a suitable course for the circumstances in their workplace.

HSE publish guidance for employers on selecting a first aid training provider. This can be found at https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/geis3.pdf. When selecting a first aid training provider, employers have several options to consider:

1.     External Training Providers:

• These providers demonstrate competence in delivering first-aid training and maintain quality assurance systems.
• They offer:
  • Nationally Regulated Qualifications:
    These qualifications are delivered by training centres recognised by an ‘awarding organisation’ (AO). AOs are regulated by national qualification bodies (such as Ofqual) and adhere to standards for qualification design, delivery, and award. Ofqual have responsibility for making sure that regulated qualifications reliably indicate the knowledge, skills and understanding students have demonstrated. They check assessments and exams show what a student has achieved.
  • Voluntary Accreditation Schemes:
    Some providers operate under voluntary accreditation schemes, including trade or industry bodies.
  • Independent Operation:
    Certain providers operate independently of any accreditation scheme.

2.     Voluntary Aid Societies (VAS):

• VAS includes organizations like St John Ambulance, British Red Cross, and St Andrew’s First Aid.

3.     In-House Training:

• Employers can choose to provide first-aid training in-house.
• For in-house training to be effective, employers must ensure it is fit for purpose by considering specific aspects.

What is First Aid + F?

Forest Craftsperson standard stipulates that the first aid have a +F designation which is included by courses designed to deal with the types of situations found on forestry sites, for example injuries that can occur with chainsaw use.