Employment opportunities
If you are trying to improve your employment skills, first aid could be a great skill to add to your CV. After all, all workplaces require some form of first aid provision. What exactly is required will vary from business to business but having the qualifications and skills can only enhance your employment opportunities.
What do businesses require?
The Health and Safety Executive lays out the standards and expectations in the United Kingdom. Although the requirements will vary, there are some fundamentals. One is that there has to be an appropriate number of kits which are fully supplied with appropriate materials. For a small business, this might be just one, but for a larger company with more employees, or one with a high risk workplace, the number will be higher. There also needs to be one or more appointed people. This is someone who coordinates the first aid supplies and planning, for example ensuring that the kits are kept up to date and well stocked.
Some companies also require a qualified first aider. There are no hard and fast rules, indeed the Health and Safety Executive provides guidelines rather than regulations in this regard, and each company needs to do a risk assessment to determine how to apply them. As a general principle, businesses are encouraged to have a first aider if they have more than fifty employees, with one for every one hundred people, or one for every fifty in higher risk environments. This is where you can benefit. Having a qualification can enhance your employment opportunities because you can offer employees extra value when they choose you.
What courses are available for you?
The standard course if you want to enhance your employment opportunities is the first aid at work qualification, or FAW. This is a three day training course and assessment which ensures that the person is competent to handle workplace incidents. This will last for three years, at which point there is the option for a reassessment to renew the qualification. This is a good general certificate to have if you are thinking about employment opportunities.
There are also other options, like one day courses, paediatric training, mental health first aid and sports training. These can be good choices if they are relevant to your line of employment.
What about if you are an employer?
Finding an applicant with a certificate is great, but what if you need a first aider and no candidates are available? In that case, we can provide training. Whether you want to send one employee to attend a course, or you want a course for a team of your employees, we are available to provide the skills that your employees need.
How can we help?
At Action + First Aid, we specialise in providing professional guidance and support in health care. From consultations and pre-inspection checks, through to staff training and even PSHE or citizenship courses for students, we are the company you can rely on. For more information about employment opportunities, contact us using the details on the website.
