Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Do we need to become a Centre?
A. This is the key question. Becoming an ITC Centre is a serious commitment, staff need to be occupationally competent. For instance they have to know the current practical assessment protocols without question or doubt so that many candidates can be continually assessed efficiently without disrupting the flow of the training course. This requires serious preparation.
Internal assessment, standardisation, verification and evaluation sytems have to be developed and maintained.
If an establishment is anticipating only delivering 3 or 4 courses per year it will be far more cost effective just to buy in an existing ITC Provider
Q. Who are ITC?
A. ITC First Aid Ltd is an Awarding Body accredited by the QCA (Qualifications Curriculum Authority) and regulated by OfQual. ITC accredited first aid qualifications are found on the NQF (National Qualification Framework)
Immediate Temporary Care is the HSE (Health & Safety Executive) trading arm of ITC First Aid Ltd it carries the HSE approval number 1670/96 for the purposes of providing First Aid at Work qualifications. Immediate Temporary Care is regulated by FAAMS (First Aid Approvals & Monitoring Section) for the HSE.
ITC Providers and Centres across the UK are accredited and verified by ITC for the purposes of training and assessing first aid qualifications.
Our headquarters is in the North of England with ITC Providers and Centres delivering qualifications across the UK, in Europe and the Far East.
Q. How will ITC benefit our organisation?
A. You have a wealth of experience regarding this sector only one phone call away.
ITC has verifiable quality assurance systems proven by its status as a QCA accredited Awarding Body and HSE approved organisation that are an indicator of quality to your clients.
Indeed ITC Providers and Centres have an established reputation for excellent first aid training and being the providers of choice for many organisations.
We provide free professional development opportunities every month, technical workshops, standardisation events, support to help with your business development and established trainers to help when things get busy with a wealth of experience and advice to help you get your business off the ground.
Some ITC accredited qualifications are on the National Qualifications Framework and may attract LSC funding if your Centre can access central funding.
Q. What is the difference between an ITC Provider and a Centre?
A. Providers are individuals who are accredited to deliver ITC qualifications, providing they follow the quality procedures of ITC they will remain on the ITC list of accredited Providers. Provider status stays with the individual if they change employment.
Centres are accredited to deliver ITC qualifications, they are establishments that have access to suitably qualified staff and the resources to internally verify the performance of these staff. Centres are typically educational establishments like FE colleges. When staff move away from the Centre they lose their ITC status.
Q. How do we become an ITC Centre?
A. The Centre has to have access to an accredited ITC Provider. Either they send a member of staff to a 2-day Induction event then they follow a progressive action plan until that individual can successfully demonstrate delivering a complete ITC qualification. This Provider can then set up the Centre systems and procedures. Or the Centre can employ an existing Provider who will develop the Centre systems and procedures. Or an Induction event can be delivered at the Centre, for a cohort of staff, with the intention of them all becoming Providers.
Once a Provider approves the standards of a Centre the Centre then applies for Centre status by completing ITC Centre application documents when an external verification visit is arranged.
Q. Why is an Induction event required?
A. The Induction event is the beginning of your relationship with ITC, it is the time when all of your queries will be answered.
The first aid sector is fragmented and confusing to those not familiar with its organisation and rationale, yet all trainers are expected to answer queries and suggest routes of progression or referral for candidates and confirm that candidates are indeed selecting the appropriate qualification for their needs.
All ITC first aid qualifications have some common methods of training and assessment and common ways of using assessment documentation.
Internal assessment has to be standardised and internal verification plans clarified.
The Web Office has to be explained and common usage practiced.
The HSE demand that the certificating body produce teaching plans for workplace first aid qualifications and QCA Awarding Bodies have to meet the standards of the HSE. ITC produces teaching plans that are clarified and practiced as course resources are explained.
Experience has shown us that it is more efficient for Centres to have a practicing Provider available to help deliver early course and develop systems.
Q. What prior knowledge and experience will we need in order to attend an Induction event?
A. The Centre needs resources of time and expertise for internal assessors (the staff teaching the course) to standardise training and assessment. The Centre also needs to internally verify the assessment decision of all staff and appraise their teaching methodology. Each trainer requires:
* A current First Aid at Work certificate
* A threshold adult education qualification
* Attendance at annual standardisation and verification events
* An up to date first aid training and cpd log
* To stay active i.e. be associated with a minimum of 3 first aid training days per year.
Q. Once one of us has completed the Induction event, what next?
A. That person has to verifiably demonstrate that they can deliver, assess and use administration documents for the qualification that the Centre wishes to deliver. This process may take some time dependent upon prior experience and commitment of the Assistant Provider. When this person is 'signed off' they then assume responsibility ofr developing in-house standardisation and training procedures. So long as they are co-delivering a qualification then the qualification is supported by their Provider status.
Once other trainers (internal assessors) are ready to deliver then an ITC External Verifier visits the Centre to confirm compliance in all aspects of Centre operation. The Centre is then externally verified according to risk.
Once an aspiring Centre is associated with a Provider they can advertise and deliver ITC qualifications providing that there is a Provider avialable to deliver before their Centre status is confirmed.
Q. When and where are these Induction events?
A. 2-day Induction events are delivered by 6 experienced ITC Providers, approved for this purpose, across the UK. Typically there is one somewhere in Britain every 6 weeks.
Alternatively an Induction event can be arranged on the Centre premises precisely biased to staff needs.
Q. What ongoing support will we get?
A. The short answer is whatever we can reasonably provide. Including:
* Office hour support by people who understand and are familiar with your concerns
* Strict compliance with our Customer Service Charter
* Regular email and Newsletter updates
* Regular standardisation, internal assessor, internal verifier training events
* Up to date downloadable web-based resources
* Dynamic training and assessment methods that clients value
* A portfolio of environment specific first aid qualifications
* A national network to accredited ITC Providers to assist your provision if things get too popular for you to handle
* DVD training/assessment resources
Q. How much will it all cost?
A. We believe there is no other package that provides what we offer at the fees we ask.
2 day Induction - £490 (vat may be added depending upon vat status of Provider delivering) + travel and maybe accommodation.
Assistant Provider - time to develop scheme of work and practice and prepare in order to verifiably demonstrate complete course delivery. This will probably include some travel and time from work or weekends.
Candidate Packs - £12.50 or £15 per candidate depending upon qualification selected.
From January 01, 2010. Announced and unannounced external verification visits will follow these guidelines.
The first 2 are free every year, if any more are required due to high risk (poor practice) then these will incur a charge of £350 + vat per visit.
Q. What is a Corporate Provider?
A. As Independent Providers grow their businesses they may develop the resources to train, verify and evaluate their own suitable qualified staff. If they wish to do so they can then apply for Corporate Provider status.
Essentially they have to meet the same criteria as Centres. The key differences being that:
* Corporate Providers do not draw down public funding for their qualification delivery whereas Centres probably do.
* Corporate provider staff are probably delivering first aid qualifications as a major part of their job description and Centre staff probably delivering first aid as a small element of their job description.
