The Skills Training Centre (STC), one of the highways and transport sector’s most popular training and assessment centres can now offer the Winter Service Operations qualification under the LANTRA accreditation.
Skills Training Centre Ltd is one of the UK’S largest nationwide training and assessment centres offering quality, competitive, skills training and assessment for Winter Service Training and Assessment Services to the highway and transport industry. It is now offering the Winter Service Operations qualification under the LANTRA accreditation as an option as well as the City and Guilds Winter Service 6159.
The Winter Service Operations qualification has traditionally been accredited through the City and Guilds scheme, but STC is now be able to provide the qualification under the LANTRA accreditation instead for the first time.
The new LANTRA certificated and carded scheme ensures that operators of winter service vehicles have knowledge and understanding of relevant Health and Safety and related legislation and that drivers of winter service vehicles receive the necessary training and assessment on the vehicles they use. The Lantra award provides Certification and a Lantra Card for Drivers. City and Guilds provide Certificates and a NEREO Card for Drivers.
STC can provide a DCPC approved Health and Safety Day of seven hours under both the Lantra Programme and under the City and Guilds 6159 scheme. By choosing the DCPC option employers can save a full day of driver time and the cost of them attending another DCPC course.
The LANTRA scheme offers flexibility in training delivery which can help manage the spread of COVID -19. The scheme has the option to deliver the Health and Safety group day remotely which will minimise the amount of contact time drivers receive especially in a group training session. Vehicle assessments are held on a 1:1 basis and all social distancing protocols are adhered to. The Lantra award provides an extensive high quality programme handout.
Highways England and the National Assembly of Wales will accept the new Lantra scheme. Both LANTRA and City and Guilds schemes are acceptable training and assessment programmes for an employer to choose.
“The LANTRA scheme provides significant savings on certification costs as opposed to the City & Guilds scheme so potentially the more cost-effective option for already cash strapped departments. Additionally, the LANTRA scheme provides some flexibility in its delivery methods allowing for the Health and Safety day to be delivered online. This is especially attractive for employers and staff in the current climate,” said Ms Fay.
The Well Managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice says that training is a vital part of winter service delivery. It says: “Delivery of a successful winter service is dependent on the individual decisions made and actions taken by all those involved. These actions and individual decisions must be supported by adequate training of the staff and operatives involved.”
Skills Training Centre Ltd was established at the end of 2004 and started trading as a limited company on the 1 April 2005, but we started life long before that as part of the local authority delivering skills training to its front line staff.
