Choosing the Right Training Provider for Your Business

In sectors where compliance, safety and operational performance are key, choosing the right training provider is extremely important. Whether it’s managing plant operations or waste processing activities, the quality of training your workforce receives has a direct impact on safety standards, productivity and regulatory compliance.

While accredited training is sometimes viewed as a box‑ticking exercise or an additional cost, it is in fact a benchmark of quality. Accreditations ensure individuals meet recognised national and industry standards and, through structured testing, confirm that learners have achieved the required level of competence to work safely and effectively within their environment.

Selecting the right provider and accreditation is therefore about far more than simply booking a course. It is about ensuring the training delivered genuinely meets the needs of your organisation, supports individual delegates and remains relevant as industry requirements evolve. To do this effectively, businesses should take the time to ask the right questions when evaluating potential training providers:

What accreditations and industry‑approved schemes does their training cover?

A reputable training provider should be able to clearly demonstrate which recognised accrediting bodies and industry schemes they are approved by, such as IPAF, LANTRA, NPORS, PASMA, MPQC or CIWM. They should also be able to provide clear guidance on how these accreditations are best suited to the end user and the industry.

Are they an approved training provider?

Always confirm that the provider holds formal approval from the relevant awarding and accrediting bodies for each course and qualification they offer. Being an approved training centre demonstrates that the provider has been assessed and authorised to deliver training, complete assessments and issue recognised certificates. It also means they undergo ongoing quality assurance, audits and standardisation processes, ensuring consistent delivery and continued compliance with industry and regulatory requirements.

Do they deliver the right training for the job?

Determining whether a training provider is fit for purpose starts with understanding your specific training requirements. This begins by identifying the duties individuals will undertake in their role and assessing what training is needed to support them. Consider which elements of training can be delivered by an external provider and, just as importantly, what must take place onsite once employees return to work following initial training.

Training should align closely with both the role and the working environment. Course content should reflect job responsibilities and support the three key elements of effective training:

• Basic training, which provides the core skills and knowledge required to operate safely and efficiently
• Specific job training, focusing on the equipment, operating principles and controls used within the workplace
• Familiarisation training, where learning is applied under normal working conditions on the job

A training provider that understands and supports this full process is far more likely to deliver training that is genuinely fit for purpose.

It’s also important to remember that learning does not end at the completion of a test. Competence is developed over time and should be regularly reviewed, reinforced and developed within the workplace.

With over 30 years’ experience delivering accredited training across the UK, Certora is a trusted training provider that partners with businesses to deliver training solutions reflecting real onsite demands, with a commitment to competence, cost efficiency, relevance and quality.

For more information on how Certora Training can support your training requirements, contact the team today on 01246 386900.