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RealSense Partner with Fire Compliance Management Services Limited (FCMS)

RealSense Partner with Fire Compliance Management Services Limited (FCMS)

by | Sep 23, 2021 | Customer and Partner News, Health and Safety, Topics

Online training provider REALSENSE partner with Fire Compliance Management Services Limited (FCMS) to provide comprehensive Fire Safety training courses to the education sector.

As the government have recently been working to review, update and simplify their Fire Safety for Schools Building Bulletin, here at REALSENSE, we have also been updating and producing new online Fire Safety Training courses. Building upon the successes of our current fire safety courses for commercial premises and residential care, REALSENSE has made improvements and developed new online fire safety learning solutions for the education sector.

Working with the accredited Fire Compliance Management Services Limited (FCMS), REALSENSE have been reviewing legislation and best practice as well as new fire protection and safety products to ensure that our Fire Safety training courses contain everything an employer within the education sector needs to keep their staff, their pupils and their buildings safe from the risks from fire.

FCMS are experts in fire safety solutions and fire compliance, making them the clear and obvious partners of choice for us to work closely with. The team at FCMS provide over 40 years of fire industry expertise and a reputation for delivering consistent high-quality Fire Risk Assessments, the provision of Fire Safety Training, Consultancy and Enforcement support.

Together, we have produced training courses to cover all the necessary elements of Fire Safety in an education establishment:

As with all our training, we’ve made sure that the courses are engaging and easy to understand. The courses can be accessed at any time and are designed to run on any industry standard desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile device. They also come with supplementary information relating to evacuation processes and how they may be affected by external factors such as Covid-19.

We are currently offering discounted packages to schools and colleges who require higher volumes of these courses (whether that’s 10, 25, 50, 100 or more) so you can rest assured that all your staff can be trained with the same consistent good quality learning – a thorough and comprehensive approach that provides flexibility but without breaking your budget.

More information about each of the courses can be found below, but for an immediate trial or to purchase our courses, follow the links to our website, email us at sales@real-sense.com or give us a call on 01332 208500 and one of our friendly team will be happy to help.

Fire Safety Awareness Training for Schools and Colleges

Fire Safety Awareness Training for Schools and Colleges

Completion of this course ensures individuals comply with their legal requirement for Fire Safety Awareness Training.

  • Informs learners about how fires may start, how to identify hazards and risks, the importance of maintaining good housekeeping in the school environment and what to do in the event of a fire.
  • Educates learners about evacuation procedures, fire drills, fire doors, firefighting equipment and means of escape.
  • Advice for teaching and non-teaching staff.
  • Additional information about evacuation processes / drills when considering external factors such as Covid-19.

 

Fire Marshal/Fire Warden Training for Schools and Colleges

Fire Marshal / Fire Warden Training for Schools and Colleges

Suitable for all staff who work in schools and colleges and have Fire Marshal / Fire Warden responsibilities. This is not a substitute for the Fire Safety Awareness course but works as a companion course for those with the additional responsibility of undertaking this role.

  • Designed to equip fire marshals / fire wardens with up-to-date information about fire safety and evacuation plans.
  • Contains important information about maintaining a safe working environment with the emphasis on aiming to prevent fires occurring.
  • Covers the importance of fire safety, the roles and responsibilities of personnel, what to do in the event of a fire, how to tackle a fire if safe to do so.
  • Detailed information about fire safety equipment including the different extinguishers and their uses.

You might also be interested in learning more about our more general fire martial training courses and Fire safety training courses.

Why is Soft Skills Training in the Workplace important?

Why is Soft Skills Training in the Workplace important?

by | Sep 8, 2021 | Business and Power Skills, Topics

Soft Skills Training in the Workplace

Whilst employers and HR teams are fully aware of the need to train their staff and the courses they can provide to help upskill and improve job performance, the area of Soft Skills Training is often overlooked.

In fact, former LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner found that the biggest skills gap in the US workplace as in soft skills which helps demonstrate the need to look more closely at this important area of employee development.

Hard Skills

‘Hard’ Skills tend to relate to specific expertise and knowledge that employees may require to do their job successfully. For example, a teacher requires a degree or other qualification whereas a company secretary might need to be able to work at a certain typing speed. Hard skills vary and can change depending upon the requirements of the job.

Soft Skills

‘Soft’ Skills are more often described as relating to an individual’s personality traits, attitude, and behaviours. Although these are often innate, they can also be developed and honed through the correct type of training.

Often HR teams, employers and recruiters specify specific soft skills that organisations require from their employees. They tend to include skills that allow people to work well in a team, communicate effectively and manage conflict. Emotional intelligence is also an especially important soft skill for those in leadership or management roles.

The benefits of employing staff with excellent soft skills

Developing a team of staff with excellent soft skills is essential because this means that employers benefit from having employees who are flexible and adaptable at work and cope well during times of change. Most workplaces today are fluid and dynamic so having a team of staff with an interpersonal skillset that enables them to problem solve, team build and manage change is essential for employers.

The main soft skills sought by most organisations include but are not limited to:

  • Communication – written and verbal
  • Teamwork
  • Problem Solving
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Leadership
  • Flexibility
  • Interpersonal / people skills

Soft Skills Training

Many employers assume that soft skills are innate and can’t be developed or changed. In fact, assuming your team will always know how to act in any situation can lead to numerous problems.

All individuals can benefit from training, to help them to boost their productivity, enhance the way they build relationships with others, and improve the way they communicate.

For employers, providing soft skills training means that you’re investing in your team and helping to build their resilience. Soft skills are needed to build a positive work environment and can help improve the profitability and success of your organisation.

Here at REALSENSE Learning, we have a suite of Soft Skills Training Courses ready and waiting for you to upskill your workforce so why not get in touch and try them out for free?

Some of our most popular Soft Skills training courses are described below:

Developing Teamwork Training

This course explores the basics of teamwork and gives information about putting together a team of people who will work well together. It then goes on to cover conflict in teams, explaining some of the reasons why conflict may arise and strategies for managing it. The course then looks at different management styles and ways to build resilience in your team.

Leadership Skills Training

This course is aimed at managers and supervisors who want to develop more effective relationships with their team members and look at leadership theory, team development and the importance of communication. The course encourages leaders to look at team goals and demonstrates working towards goals with an overall vision for your team.

Mental Health Awareness Training

The Mental Health Awareness course helps to promote a healthy and supportive working environment and is packed with hints, tips and strategies for supporting employee mental health. The course focuses on workplace wellbeing and is useful educational tool for employers to provide to their employees as part of their health and wellbeing training

Emotional Intelligence Training

Our Emotional Intelligence training course is aimed at supervisors and managers seeking to develop more effective relationships with members of their teams. This course is a great starting point for people new to their leadership role as well as more established managers that want to enhance their skills. The course acts as a great introduction to the subject and covers the key concepts and theories relating to emotional intelligence.

For more information about any of our training courses – for soft skills, hard skills, off-the-shelf training or bespoke learning, get in touch or give us a call on 01332 208500.

Data Protection Law, UK GDPR, and Workplace Compliance

Data Protection Law, UK GDPR, and Workplace Compliance

by | Aug 11, 2021 | Corporate Governance

We take a look at what the UK GDPR rules mean for organisations and the steps we need to take to ensure compliance with Data Protection Law.

We live in a world where businesses and organisations use and store vast amounts of information about individuals. This must be regulated to protect our privacy and prevent the misuse of our information, which is how the Data Protection Law and EU GDPR came about.

From 1 January 2021 the transition period ended, and the UK left the European Union. The EU General Data Protection Regulation has now been enshrined in UK law and is referred to as the UK GDPR.

Sitting alongside the UK GDPR is the Data Protection Act 2018 which supplements it. The UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 combined now provide the legal framework for data protection in the UK and should be read side by side.

UK organisations need to amend their GDPR documentation to align it with the requirements of the UK GDPR, which is why here at REALSENSE, we have been working with our partners at Geldards Law Firm to update our UK GDPR Online Training and Date Protection Law Refresher Training to ensure our customers are provided with up to date, accurate and easy to understand information so they can train their staff with confidence.

Providing staff training on Data Protection Law and UK GDPR regulations can help your organisation to demonstrate compliance.

 

About Data Protection Law

Data Protection Law protects our personal data. This is any information relating to and identifying an individual, including names, addresses, telephone numbers, date of birth, email addresses, user IDs, cookie addresses, career history and financial details.

In addition to this, we all also have personal data that is defined in law as ‘Sensitive/Special Category Personal Data’ – this includes race, ethnic origin, sex life or sexual orientation, genetic data, trade union membership, political opinion, health data, biometric data, religious information or philosophical beliefs.

If misused, this kind of data could cause significant harm or discrimination to individuals, and therefore it has a higher level of protection under Data Protection Law.

To be protected by Data Protection Law, personal data must be either held electronically or form part of a paper filing system where data is filed using specific criteria.

 

Key Provisions of UK GDPR

Under the UK GDPR, individuals have enhanced rights with regards to their data. These include:

  • The right to object
  • The right to erasure
  • Rights of access
  • The right to restriction
  • The right to data portability
  • Rights of rectification

UK GDPR also states that organisations have a duty to follow certain procedures and regulations with regards to processing data. An overview is given below:

  • Compliance – organisations must demonstrate compliance with provisions of UK GDPR and Data Protection principles.
  • Consent – individual consent must be freely given and informed. Methods of obtaining consent must be unambiguous, and it should be as easy to withdraw as it was to give.
  • Privacy notices – these must be provided at the time data was collected and be clear and unambiguous, containing certain specific information.
  • Individuals’ rights – as listed above, these are supported under UK GDPR and organisations must respond to a person’s requests to exercise their rights within one month.
  • Personal data breach notifications – in certain circumstances, individuals and the ICO must be notified when a breach occurs.
  • Fines – considerable fines can be given to organisations where non-compliance occurs.

 

Possible consequences of non-compliance

In the UK, Data Protection Law is regulated and enforced by the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office). As the UK GDPR includes the principle of accountability, this means that organisations are responsible for demonstrating their compliance to UK GDPR to the ICO.

Fines for breaches of data protection law are significant under the UK GDPR. The maximum fine is £17.5 million or 4% of annual turnover worldwide, whichever is greater.

 

How can I ensure my staff help support the security of my organisation?

Organisations must ensure that they give their staff the skills and knowledge to prevent data breaches and maintain the safety and security of data. There is no substitute for in-house policies and procedures combined with comprehensive training.

Our UK GDPR Online Training will ensure your staff are fully informed in all aspects of UK GDPR, including law enforcement and how they can help support their employer by complying to legislation.

We also offer Data Protection Law Refresher Training which is an excellent choice for those individuals who have already had some training or have a good understanding of data protection legislation but would benefit from refresher training to reaffirm and enhance their understanding.

Our courses are comprehensive but easy to access, and more importantly, easy to understand. Training staff about rules and legislation can often be formulaic, and let’s face it, mundane. A number of our customers have told us they enjoy the interactive, engaging style of our online training courses compared to others that are ‘drier’ and that they better retain knowledge because of the easy to understand format.

As well as providing training, it is important to look at your workplace as a whole and implement strategies that the whole team should adopt when handling and processing data. Examples are given below.

Steps your staff can take to help your organisation keep personal data secure:

  • Ensure mobile devices are password protected and not left unattended
  • Keep their computer password secret
  • Follow your employer’s IT procedures – these should be documented in a policy handbook
  • Don’t store personal data on unencrypted USB device
  • Store papers that contain personal information securely
  • Don’t send personal data from your work email to your personal email account
  • Dispose of personal data that is no longer required confidentially
  • Double check email addresses are is correct when sending any personal data by email
  • Follow rules laid down by your employer regarding office security

 

For additional information, resources and courses on UK GDPR, Data Protection Law or any other training requirements, take a look at our course catalogue or give us a call on 01332 208500 or get in touch here and we would be happy to help.