Talking TAP

Welcome from Claire Brookes

I’m pleased to welcome you to the May 2009 issue of Talking TAP.  In this issue we are sharing the success of The British Institute for Learning & Development’s 1000th member, Trevor Down.

This months TAP Qualified Professional of the Month is Julie Wedgewood.

And the TAP Partner of the month is Redline Aviation Security Ltd.  Here you can read about their work training aviation staff up-to-date knowledge and skills on how to deal with current and emerging security threats.

I hope that you enjoy reading this months issue, should you like to nominate yourself for TAP Qualified Professional of the month please feel free to contact me on c.brookes@trainingfoundation.com

Thanks

Claire.

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BILD flying high with 1,000th member

A military trainer has become the 1,000th member of the British Institute for Learning and Development (BILD).

Trevor Down (pictured), of the Royal Air Force School of Physical Training, completed a TAP certificate in blended learning at the Training Foundation, which entitled him to associate membership of BILD.

He said membership of the organisation allowed the military to cherry pick from civilian best practice, adding: “Being a member of BILD will benefit the school and keep us at the forefront of instruction and teaching within the Services.”

BILD, which formed two years ago, has seen membership climb at a rate of approximately 80 per month.

Chairman Jack Wills said: “The growth rates are testament to the requirement for a professional institute; supporting the needs of individuals and organisations working within the learning and development community, which many will agree had been missing for some time.”

The Institute aims to support members in achieving best practice within the industry and is providing continual professional development events across the UK.

For more information on BILD membership and a list of upcoming events, visit www.thebild.org or contact swills@thebild.org.

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TAP Qualification of the Month, Trainer-of-Choice

Could you become a Trainer-of-Choice?

This  is an exciting addition to the TAP Learning system.  Trainer-of-Choice is a 3 day course which gives trainers the skills to optimise interpersonal skills which stimulate learner motivation.  We have developed this new qualification because optimising learning transfer, subject matter knowledge and training skills are no longer enough to inspire emotional engagement in learners.

The Trainer-of- Choice course focuses on building trainers’ self-awareness skills to create an empathic, learner-centred climate. It focuses on the Six Principles of Choice and invites delegates to personally adopt the Trainer-of- Choice Charter.   This month we are offering a 20% discount on the Trainer- of- Choice course.

See what past delegates say about the course:

"Excellent, really enjoyed it and learnt a lot. A big thank you for another inspiring course by The Training Foundation."

Carol Norman
Regents College

"Excellent. A very enjoyable and informative 2 days. Time just flew! A lot of 'food for thought'."

Joe Carroll
Aviation Training International Ltd

"Immensely helpful. I have learned alot and watched both trainers to learn from them. I liked the overall way the course was structured, there was alot of discussion and not alot of paperwork. Thank you."

Fiona McLaughlin
NHS National Services Scotland

To learn more about becoming a Trainer-of-Choice , please click here

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TAP Qualified Professional of the Month, Julie Wedgewood

In February 2009, Julie’s team won the IITT Awards for the Internal Project of the Year and Internal Training Department of the Year (Public Sector).  The team had been together for less than 12 months – how did they achieve that? Julie says “I’m a great believer in the theory that ‘laughter leads to learning’ and I try to make sure that all our learning interventions are fun, vibrant and deliver our learners every opportunity to think for themselves. Our learners can choose to learn in a way that is best for them.”

Blended Learning
Julie has been working in the training industry since 1984 offering training and learning consultancy to a wide variety of organisations both in the private and academic sectors.

Julie says “I took the Tap Refreshers skills course in 2002 and added to my TAP qualifications by doing the Foundation Certificate in Blended Learning in 2006 and the Certificate in E-learning Development skills in 2007.  The Blended Learning course was a turning point for me.  It was the moment when I woke up and realised that training and learning was changing and I needed to start really harnessing the new media tools and work out how to use them to support my customers.”

In 2008, Julie started working with the Cheshire ICT Service (within the NHS) providing training services to over 10,000 NHS staff members across Cheshire.

“The team here at the Cheshire ICT Service were mainly delivering standard type courses when I arrived, but now they too have got the blending bug and our users seem to really enjoy what we are doing.”

Harnessing new technology
In the last year Julie and her team have built up a strong blended training service combining in house created e-learning, virtual classrooms and highly interactive face to face training interventions that have been very well received by their user base. 

“We have started some very exciting projects this year and are looking forward to continuing to develop our training service as well as our own skills with all the new media tools that continue to appear.  One of our main goals this year is to build an online learning community across the NHS in Cheshire.  We are currently in the early stages of pulling this together and the team are all enjoying the new and different ways we are interacting with our learners.”

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TAP Partner of the Month, Redline Aviation Security Ltd

With the world at constant risk of terrorist attack, it is vital that aviation staff working in the air and on the ground have the awareness, up-to-date knowledge and skills to deal with current and emerging security threats.  Redline Aviation Security ensures that these staff – from airport managers, supervisors, ground handing staff and X-ray screeners to cabin and air crew – are trained to the highest international and regulatory security standards.

Redline has an impressive security training pedigree across a huge range of specialist skills, techniques and disciplines. 

ISO9001 and Department for Transport accredited, the company is one of the UK’s only providers of aviation security training for managers and the only private company able to provide such a wide variety of security courses and services from a single location.  It is also the only provider of recognition of firearms and explosives training in the UK outside the Ministry of Defence.

Based at the National Aviation Academy at Robin Hood airport in Doncaster, Director Paul Mason and his team collectively draw on decades of frontline, security and training experience from across all aviation security disciplines, both military and commercial. 
With over 20 years experience in the British Army and as a specialist defence and management consultant, Paul knows only too well the critical difference training can make when it matters most.

“Security threats from international terrorism are constantly changing,” he says.  “We’re at the very tip of the spear in preparing the last line of defence for the protection of UK airspace, infrastructure and airport users.  I need to know that my trainers are competent and passionate about what they do and that this is reflected in a training process which ensures training is relevant, realistic, assessable and enjoyable.  This is not only fundamental to Redline, but also pivotal to the continual success of the UK National Aviation Security Programme.”

The combination of the nature of Redline’s business, the mandatory objectives set by the DfT and the need to reassure customers that they are getting the very best in security training means that formal assessment and third party accreditation is more important than in most other sectors.

Paul originally came across The Training Foundation’s Trainer Assessment Programme (TAP) when he was a flying instructor at Aviation Training International Limited.  He was impressed, not only by TTF’s shared passion for developing the professionalism of the training community, but also the fact that TAP emphasises the importance of knowing ‘how’ to train, not simply being ‘allowed’ to train.

“The critical difference is how training is delivered and assessed and I saw TAP as a means of setting Redline apart from other aviation security training providers – of creating the critical difference for us in our marketplace,” explains Paul.  “It’s increasingly important – and nowhere more so than in our industry – that trainers have a recognised and meaningful training competency benchmark.  TAP guarantees that all successful TAP delegates can perform to that high standard.”

He also saw TAP’s structured methodology as a valuable framework for accommodating dynamic adjustments to course content driven by rapid changes in the national and international security environment.

Towards the end of 2008, all of Paul’s trainers did TAP’s Training Delivery Skills programme, qualifying the team for TAP Silver Partner status.  Jim Termini, Co director, and a highly experienced trainer with 24 years in various military and commercial aviation roles under his belt, found the course an excellent refresher.

“I’d been an instructor across various disciplines for eight years and TAP very clearly showed me a different way of transferring knowledge,” he says.  “TAP’s questioning techniques work particularly well for the types of courses we run, where it’s vital that both we and the participants are sure that they have a deep understanding of what is being taught.  A lot of the TAP principles are commonsense – deep down you know what you should be doing – but it just helps to stand back and clarify that sometimes.”

As far as Paul is concerned, TAP and Silver Partner status has added to ISO9001 and DfT accreditations to achieve the standout factor in the aviation security marketplace.

“It adds to already rigorous internal quality processes to show our customers that we really are committed to delivering high quality training and value for money compared to other aviation security training providers,” he says.  “Having a uniform and standardised training delivery methodology across the business, has also made the whole operation more efficient.”

Not content with being a TAP Silver Partner, Paul and his team are now determined to fly even higher and ‘go for Gold’, with plans not only to deliver, but also design all courses to TAP standards.

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