Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the training and qualifications we deliver.
Click on a question to go to the answer;
1. What’s in a name; what does the title of a training course actually mean?
2. What has the "CIEH" (Chartered Institute of Environmental Health), "HABC" and other bodies like this have to do with Redcat’s training?
3. Why do RedCat use certain Awarding Bodies?
4. Thinking about taking IOSH Managing Safely? Why don’t we deliver “Working Safely” or “Managing Safely” from IOSH (The Institute of Occupational Safety and Health)?
5. What makes us competent to train?
1. What’s in a name; what does the title of a training course name actually mean?
Let’s take the Level 3 Award in Supervising Food Safety as an example. The qualification name contains three pieces of information;
a. Subject; what the course is about, it’s subject matter (in this case, food safety from a supervisor’s perspective. Not only is it about learning about hand washing, but also the role a supervisor plays in making sure it happens!)
b. Level; how difficult, or how much “brain power” is required.
Level 1; equivalent approximately to GCSE grade D-G
Level 2; GCSE A* - C
Level 3; “A” Level, as is the case here
Level 4; first year degree level
c. Size; how long does the course last, and how many credits is it worth?
Award; less than 120 hours, as is the case here; Level 3 Food requires 18 hours classroom contact time plus home work.
Certificate; 130 – 360 hours
Diploma; 370 hours plus.
We want to deliver the best training, using the best qualifications. Anyone can issue a Certificate of Training, but it takes “Awarding Bodies” like this to create a syllabus and get it officially approved by those in charge. This in turn is the Qualification and Curriculum Authority, comprised of Sector Skills Councils, etc. The QCA allocate Levels, etc. and also regulate the process; for instance the CIEH gets regularly audited itself!
3. Why do RedCat use certain Awarding Bodies?
We use the following Awarding Bodies, as we want to deliver qualifications that are recognised by enforcement agencies locally, nationally and indeed world-wide.
- Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH); well established as the original awarding body for food safety, and latterly health and safety. Well respected, as the professional organisation for Environmental Health Practitioners.
- Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance (HABC); new kids on the block. However, this private company was founded by an ex EHO, and the training materials such as reference books have been benchmark standards for years. Richard Sprenger’s “Hygiene for Management” has been the benchmark Level 4 Food Safety text for decades! The levels and sizes of qualifications compete directly with CIEH, but as a private company, there is a different ethos in terms of customer service. They make life easier for us as training providers.
- Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (IOSH); the professional body for safety professionals, so their courses carry some weight. HOWEVER their course are NOT QCA approved or registered, so they lack the back-up of Sector Skills Council approval.
We're happy to deliver these courses, but please do bear in mind these are not QCA approved qualifications. They therefore don’t have the same level of regulation, control or respect as QCA approved qualifications, such as the CIEH Awards. However, a little information about these courses;
“Working Safely” is roughly equivalent to the CIEH Level 2 Award in Health and Safety.
“Managing Safely” falls between the CIEH Level 3 and 4 Awards in Level, but lasts as long as CIEH Level 4.
I say roughly, as the IOSH Managing Safely syllabus seems to fall between Level 3 and 4.
5. What makes us competent to train?
We’ve all been there; a training course that is dull, fails to deliver and leaves you wondering “Why did I bother to pay for this??”
You are entrusting your money, staff and their future ability to improve and keep your business safe, to us. We acknowledge this responsibility. So, a little about us;
- Core knowledge; we are fully qualified Chartered Environmental Health Practitioners. We are members of CIEH, IOSH and Richard is a member of the Chartered Management Institute. We are sufficiently qualified to join the forthcoming official Register of Health and Safety Consultants, run by the HSE. Our newest recruit, David, is also an EHO by background and a member of the IOSH, CIEH, Institute of Acoustics, and IEMA.
- Experience; Sarah and Richard have both been qualified as EHPs for over 20 years, and have worked in the field for this whole time. Our “USP” is that we’ve been there, we have the stories to tell, so you don’t have to learn the hard way.
- Skills;as experienced enforcement officers and consultants, we know how to make sure things happen in practice. We reflect this in our training, which is realistic, practical and aimed at real world implementation.
- Regulation; as a registered centre to deliver CIEH and HABC qualifications, we sign up to their quality management frameworks, and are audited by them (we were last audited by the CIEH in Spring 2010).
- Track record; The RedCat Partnership has been successfully trading for 12 years.
As trainers, we have been delivering CIEH qualifications since 1989. Indeed, such is our experience that we enjoy passing this on through the Level 3 Award in Training Skills and Practice, and Level 3 Award in PTLLS (Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector).
If you still have any doubts, have a look at our testimonials and case studies.
