Feedback from some of our Learners

Gregg Lofthouse from Design Grid completed his NVQ Level 6 in Construction Site Management in May 2024. He said: "Thank you very much, I learned a lot to be honest while doing it, mainly about setting up sites and stuff you need in place etc, also the amount of paperwork you have to sort before jobs can start. It's really helped me with stakeholder meetings on site as well".

When we did an Confined Spaces Supervisor course back in February David Low attended and gave us some feedback. Recently we got in touch with him about how the course changed his habit, he had the following to say "Since my supervisors confined space course I now go more in depth with my briefs. I do with all my briefs nowadays, not just the ones about confined spaces".

In February 2024  we had a Abrasive Wheel and Manual Handling course which Nathan attended. Recently when asked how he found the course he said that "it gave me a an underpinning confidence that I lacked. Now I feel a lot more confindent in doing jobs with a STILHL like grinding which was something I always felt unprepared for".

Warren Cairns who works for Leck Construction attended the course in January 2024 and said recently "Yes I have made changes after attending the course. I'm more aware of reading risk assessments on the task to be done on site. I also completed a C.O.S.H.H. course on the back of attending your course to be more aware of the risk of hazardous materials in the workplace and on site".

Mike Calvert who works for Thomas Armstrong Ltd attended the course in January 2024 and said "I haven't had any scaffolding on my contract as yet, but if and when I do, I'll certainly be more proactive in checking at handover stage, and getting certificate of compliance from the scaffolders, before putting into use".

  Craig Fisher who is a Project Manager on Sellafield undertook asbestos awareness training with us in January 2024 and 3 months later said: "We have used the knowledge from the training on my works where there have been two projects where excavation works have needed to take place. Prior to us commencing works I delivered a toolbox talk on asbestos and how it may harm you and what to do if you come across it".

Gary from Michael Thompson Ltd said "Overall, I enjoyed undertaking this qualification. Dave, my assessor was a great helping hand. He was always available to offer advice or support where needed. The overall content of this qualification was good and I don't think I have any real negatives about it. My IT skills have improved massively since undertaking this qualification. It's also allowed me to see and understand certain aspects of my current role differently, perhaps with more clarity and certainly with more knowledge".  

To all of the delegates that attended our Signing, lighting and guarding course, thank you for trying your best and leaving some feedback. “Important things that I learned on the course was stuff like how to use the traffic signals to make the traffic management setup. I will think more about the traffic setup when putting up traffic signals to make sure that it interacts with the traffic in the right way. Thought the instructor was very knowledgeable and friendly.” “Most important thing I learned on the course was about the worker safety. Since this job involves moving cars there a risk of injury if we are not careful or place something wrong. I was also surprised by the number of signs that are used for even the simpler set ups. So, in the future I will check the manual to make sure everything is where is should be and make sure it all safe. I will definitely try and get more practise in the actual set up just to improve on that skill.”  

Thank you to all the delegates that gave us feedback for our Confined Spaces course in Sellafield.   “The most important thing I’ve learned on the course was the importance of paperwork when working with confined spaces. Stuff like the entry and rescue procedures are very important to make sure everyone stays safe. Because of this I will try to read the paperwork more thoroughly, also to include the workforce when making the risk assessment to make sure everyone is on the same page and to think of all the risks. I found the instructor very good and I liked how he involved the group during the training.”   “The most important thing I learned on the course was how and why we should work as a team during confined spaces jobs. The importance of proper communication during the job cannot be understated to keep everyone safe and making sure the job is done. When I return to work, I will try and have clear instruction and communication with the work party. I thought the instructor really knew what he was doing and it probably one of the best courses I’ve for a while.”

Cormac Bignall-Young undertook NVQ Level 3 in Heritage Plastering. He said: "The most important thing I learned was the various types of lime and clay which can be used as a plaster. Thanks to this course I know every step of making my own. From finding and testing suitable clays to different finish applications. Thanks to this knowledge I have more adaptability when plastering in an authentically historical manner as I now have the knowledge to adapt my mixes by availability of resources and the backgrounds being plastered". 

Nicky Potts attended our second Boot Camp in February this year and hasn't looked back. He started on a trial basis with respected local ground working company Kirkaldy and Roe and has been with them for 3 months now. He is really enjoying working in the construction industry. Nicky said recently: "I’m still at Kirkcaldy and row I’m enjoying it, just starting to get some tickets, I’ve just done my cat and genny and looking at my dumper as well so it’s all looking good".

Hannah, who recently completed our Groundworker Skills Boot Camp has been offered a position with Persimmon Homes, well done Hannah! She said after attending the boot camp: "“I have done a week of groundwork, really enjoyed learning with them, amazing how much you can learn in just a week, wonderful opportunity. We learnt how to set out with the laser level as if we were going to level the ground, how sewers work and how to put them in, we also worked on flags and laying cobbles”. This means that everyone who completed our first boot camp has a CSCS card and secured employment. Our next Skills Boot Camp starts shortly. If you know anyone who is fed up in their current job and fancies a change then please contact us.

Damian who completed his Level 4 Construction site supervision NQV gave us this great feedback. “I have enjoyed learning more about the drawings and dimensional controls that I use for the job. I have received positive feedback from a major client of mine after learning about all the aspects of Health and Safely while doing my NVQ.”

Tony completed the Level 4 Construction site supervision NVQ and gave us some feedback. In the beginning he found it tough as he was just settling into the job. But “I had a lot of information, advice and guidance from the assessor which helped me build my confidence when supervising.” After completing the NVQ Tony was offered a promotion by his employer due to his experience working as a supervisor and completing his NVQ.

We are so happy to receive feedback from Darren who has successfully completed his NVQ Level 3 Occupational work Supervision. “I liked it when the assessor did site visits and gave me feedback during that time. I feel that the experience helped me gain more confidence to communicate with staff and traders. I was glad to learn more about the Health and Safety regulations. This programme has helped me climb far enough up the “ladder” as I want to go in my career.”

Thank you to Richard who completed Level 4 Construction Site Supervision and gave us this feedback. “I enjoyed learning about the aspects of the job that I don’t do very often such as lifting and crane work. Throughout the NVQ I feel that my skills that I often use around the work site have improved. For example, I am more confident that I can communicate effectively with the people around me and that I can create risk assessment.”

Gregg Lofthouse from Design Grid has recently completed his NVQ Level 6 in Construction Site Management. He said: "Thank you very much, I learned a lot to be honest while doing it, mainly about setting up sites and stuff you need in place etc, also the amount of paperwork you have to sort before jobs can start. It's really helped me with stakeholder meetings on site as well".

We were delighted to receive this feedback recently from one of the delegates Iain that attended our Confined Spaces (Medium Risk) course. Iain has completed this course before but didn’t get a chance to work within Confined Space for a little while so he has benefitted from a refresh on regulations and the risk assessment. “The instructor was very good at getting the points needed across as he would go into the topic in detail. I will put my new gained knowledge into further work and I will make sure the risk assessments are filled in correctly and in a timely manner”

We are so happy for the feedback we receive from our learners on the Confined spaces (Medium Risk) course, a part of that group was William who said: “I will take the procedures when entering the confined spaces more seriously from now on knowing the risks involved. I am now more confident in entering confined spaces and putting harnesses and breathing apparatus on safely”

MacAuley Fawcett, who is employed as a mason by Heritage Consolidation said: "I think the main thing for me was actually having to complete certain specific task for the NVQ, having that list of stuff I needed helped me build more confidence in the work I did, in the past before I started the NVQ I would easily take a back roll when I came to setting out stuff like stonemasonry structures and let the more experienced workers take charge and then just help out with the building once it is set away but as I needed to do it for my NVQ I have since started to take charge and have confidence in myself and my work especially when it comes to setting all sorts of different walls and structures out to lead the way. Other things for example which were in the NVQ were props and struts which we use a lot of in our job especially for propping stone work when doing stuff like new lintels above doors and windows and again before the NVQ I would take a back roll and help someone else to set the props to ensure it was safe to fit the new lintel whereas now I am confident in taking it on myself to prop the stonework and to fit a new lintel without having to worry about stonework above dropping. Gary ( NVQ assessor) also help me to look at the job in more detail when on one of his visits to a church we were doing work, I was worried I wasn’t going to have a job where I could build a buttress which was needed for my NVQ and after looking at the job in a different way he made me realise that actually the wall I was building was acting as a supporting buttress so his knowledge and experience help me to look at the job in a different way for the future. So, the main thing for me is that it has helped to give me confidence and a lot more experience in the work that I do I would say that is the big thing I can take away and it has helped massively with my career in being a stonemason".  

Ryan Robertson, Contracts Manager for Thomas Armstrong (Construction) Ltd has recently completed his NVQ Level 6. Ryan said: "It was a good course, very worthwhile, I’d certainly recommend it to anyone wanting to progress themselves. Please pass on my thanks to (assessor)".  

Keith Hetherington from Cubby Construction said: "I enjoyed doing the NVQ, there was a lot more work involved than i expected. The things I learnt/do different are I record a lot more i.e. morning briefs, site meetings/discussions with the site team. I also plan better doing a weekly and a four weekly programme weekly to book plant and resources earlier and pass them to the senior management. I also started to follow up phone calls with clients/designers with emails".  

Damian Benson from Leck Construction said: 'The NVQ programme has helped me write more detailed RAMS and better prepare for site audits which, in turn has resulted in us getting good feedback from our client (BAE). I have also learned more about dimensional control aspects of the job ie drawings and alterations'.  

Gareth Daniel from West Coast Thermal said: "the nvq went really well with Gary (Assessor). We kept in touch every week or so through phone calls and whatsapp etc, I sent Gary plenty of videos and pictures of jobs I've been doing for the past few months for evidence. He come to see me on crown packaging and we got plenty of work done even though it was a strict factory to work in. All in all really happy doing the nvq with Gary and don't think it could have gone much better, cheers". .

Mark Richardson from West Coast Thermal "The NVQ programme in passive fire protection helped me and I now take more time to understand the materials used and how they perform". .

Dan Whirity from Burlington Stone said: "Since doing the nvq courses I have been more aware of all the safety procedures and follow them more closely. I have been more open minded and listening more to what the work force has to say. I feel as a deputy manager I have grown and that should help the company as I progress" .

Sue Richardson, Director of Lanquest Properties Ltd said: "Just wanted to say thank you for organising last Friday. The lads really felt they had benefitted from the day and had enjoyed it".

"There was a lot of useful information taken away from this 2 day course. I feel I have much more knowledge of scaffolding and safety." Liam Aplin - Site Manager at Thomas Armstrong Attended Scaffold Inspection for Supervisors

"The most important thing I learned on the course was how to survive in an emergency scenario. I will certainly use the correct equipment and follow RAMS more closely when entering confined spaces at work" Darren Ash – Waitings Ltd Attended a Safe Working in Confined Spaces (Medium Risk) course – February 2021