It would appear that there is a lot of confusion within the Rescue and Recovery Industry regarding current training. The IVR, having been involved with the Highways Agency since the introduction of ‘Sector Scheme 17’, would like to break down some barriers and confusion surrounding the new training scheme so that everyone has a clearer picture.
Training in the past has largely been passed down within companies by experienced recovery operators or at best, by awareness courses, carried out by a few recognised training providers.
When the HA initiated discussions with the industry to develop a sector scheme for the recovery industry, they quickly recognised a lack of consistent, recognised training and assessment of operator competence. It was suggested at this point that the industry would need to achieve National Vocational Qualifications in order to meet the standards of the Sector Scheme. The HA set the industry the task of producing an alternative to NVQ’s.
At about this time the IVR had approached the ‘Sector Skills Council’ for the motor industry Automotive Skills, in order to try and develop a training programme that met a minimum standard. From the subsequent meetings, involving other stakeholders from the industry, a Technical Certificate was produced to underpin a recovery operators theoretical knowledge of recovery techniques. The Technical Certificate was produced using the ‘National Occupational Standards’ developed by the industry and approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. Seeing the potential cost to the industry of having to achieve NVQ’s, the IVR suggested that the Technical Certificate be used as the benchmark for recovery industry training.
The IVR were also developing a working relationship with The Independent Training Standards Scheme and Register, (ITSSAR), who provide minimum standards for instructors within the fork lift truck industry. This relationship produced the very first qualified and recognised civilian Instructor within the recovery industry, qualified to train instructors within our industry.
During this development the basis of a ‘minimum requirement’ skills test was developed for each relevant ‘Technical Certificate’ module.
This was accepted by the HA as the ‘Minimum Standard’ for training within the National Highways Sector Scheme 17a necessary for recovery operators to work on road construction sites.
It should be pointed out that the industry as a group, in the guise of ‘The National Recovery Industry Training Group’ drove this system forward in order to minimise the financial impact to recovery operators.
What we have to ask ourselves is:
Why do we train? To some this may sound simple, but there are a number of reasons:
• Done correctly it provides some legal protection for a company.
• Controversially, it helps to retain staff. This is a proven fact.
• It reduces damage claims.
• It increases the professionalism of an industry we believe in.
It should also be noted that for experienced staff, training is not necessarily required only a skills test and theory test. Providing the minimum standard is achieved a certificate can be awarded, greatly reducing the financial burden on recovery operators. This is about competence to do the job not merely a certificate on the wall to satisfy a Police or other contract.
The competences required to achieve an NVQ are laid out in the National Occupational Standards mentioned earlier. These were developed by the industry, including the IVR as far back as 1997.
These competences form the basis of the ‘Modular Training’ package.
But why modulise the training? There are a number of reasons for this and they include:
• More efficient structured training.
• Easier to assess competence.
• More specific training.
• Improved learning.
In May 2006 the IVR were awarded the role of ‘Administrator’ of the Sector Scheme training by the Highways Agency. This was fought for by the National Recovery Industry Training Group, (Formed by all the associations and the IVR during negotiations with the HA), as the right and proper body to oversee our industry’s training, ensuring it was not lost to an external body and the potential financial implications that may have arisen from such an outcome. The IVR quickly set about developing the infrastructure required to develop the scheme and meet the stringent requirements set on it by the recovery industry.
The IVR has subsequently formed a new company, IVR (UK) Ltd to act as the administrator, this was completed in order to protect the membership of the Institute if in the unlikely event there were a catastrophic failure of the scheme.
Instructors, approved by the administrator to train under the new scheme, were clearly a priority and had to meet the ITSSAR standards. Steve Kirton, as the qualified Cat. 4 Tutor has run a number of courses for Instructors to ITSSAR Cat. 1 standard and to date twenty seven instructors have achieved the very high standard required. The IVR have subsequently introduced a series of different levels to operate under the scheme, these are:
• Level 1. Internal Instructor – Delivering training internally within their own company, will be able to train any module, but will only be able to assess modules 1, 2, and 3. This may also be used as a probationary period for those instructors wishing to progress to Level 2.
• Level 2. External Instructor – Delivering training to a range of customers and companies for a training provider. (Could be a sole trader registered as a training provider).
• Level 3. Assessor – An individual, approved by the administrator to assess Level 1 and Level 2 instructors.
• Tutor. Approved to train potential instructors to the ITSSAR standards. (May also be used as a Cat. 3 assessor.
Approved Training Providers will be companies wishing to offer training under the training scheme to customers purchasing their services. They will be required to meet a number of exacting standards designated by the industry for the administrator to monitor. Training providers will pay an annual registration fee and will be subject to assessment visits by the administrator.
Companies with training facilities not wishing to become a provider can become a registered centre. Once again this will be subject to an annual registration fee and assessment of the facilities.
A brand new National Database has been developed by the IVR (UK) Ltd to register instructors, centres, training providers and recovery operators. The database will automatically generate both certificates issued against the modules and the registration cards required under the National Highways Sector Scheme. The cost of registration to the scheme, including the registration card with a minimum of the three core modules will be a one off lifetime fee of £35.00. Replacement ID cards will be £25.00.
Registration cards will be colour-coded, dependant on type they will be:
• Roadside Technician – Modules 1,2 and 3 only - Red
• Recovery Technician - Blue
• Instructor - Green
Identity cards will show:
Front – Photo, name, type of card, company, pin number, issue date and expiry date.
Rear - Modules achieved and expiry date.
The biggest difference with this training scheme is the introduction of skills tests to measure competence. Assessment is backed up by a multiple choice question paper with a raised pass mark of 80%. There is currently on trial a highly secure I.T. based questioning package to deliver a set of random questions to students. It is hoped that a special pack will be available to companies in the near future as a package to check their staff’s level of understanding prior to actually undertaking a full assessment.
Following assessment and a student attaining the required standard the administrator will issue a certificate. The admin charge for the certification is normally £25.00 for each module however; the IVR (UK) Ltd management board have agreed to set the rates for the core modules as £60.00 for a single certificate. It has also agreed that where all the motorcycle modules are assessed together then a single certificate could be issued at a cost of £25.00.
It has been published that there is a large increase in costs for this scheme, however it should be noted that this scheme is not necessarily more expensive, indeed for those operators with experience they only need to be assessed.
It should be remembered that the IVR do not control charges for training, there is now an open free market for training providers and competition will determine the ultimate rate for training.
The industry must decide where we want to go with our professionalism, do we want to just buy certificates or do we want properly trained professional operators working for our businesses. It is up to us, do we want to remain as just the industry stuck in the past with no professionalism or do we want to move forward?
Latest News On Training Requirements
The PAS 43:2008 revised Specification is likely to include three mandatory basic training modules for induction training. The modules are the result of part of the ongoing work carried out between the IVR and Automotive Skills.
There was some concern expressed by a number of operator’s that the numerous training modules designed for the Highways Agency (HA) service provider’s, may be included in the requirements of the updated version of PAS 43 due to be introduced next March/April time. It was generally considered the introduction of the additional HA training requirements may be cost prohibitive to many operator’s, particularly to those operator’s not intending to offer services to the HA, therefore no opportunity for a return on their investment.
It is thought the descriptive induction training modules will be helpful to UKAS Accredited Certification Bodies and their assessors who had previously nothing to ‘measure’ the requirements of induction training or the qualification for providing such training.
There remains a belief that some representatives of the industry will want to see a gradual introduction of more training modules into PAS 43, in line with the HA modules, introduced progressively in the medium term in an attempt to generally improve the minimum standards within the industry. The downside of the idea, in a self-regulated industry, would occur if independent vehicle recovery operators felt the financial investment would not realise additional income to support the investment and thereby decided not to agree to enhanced training requirements. The motoring organisations and other customers may then be left with a significant shortage of PAS 43 compliant operators with the probability of using the services of non-compliant operators resulting in the dilution of PAS 43. Staff turnover is also a consideration for many operators.
