We’ve been keeping busy at the Key Performance Training warehouse. With both of our trainers (David and Calum) being able to teach at the same time in our double arena, more and more delegates are gaining forklift qualifications and unlocking their pathway to employment!
This is our cheerful monthly blog post where we recognise and congratulate some of the delegates who are now fully qualified, excellent operators! So lets take a look back at some of the fantastic delegates who have completed a course and gained their license with us throughout the month of September…
Connor and Bill
A big congratulations to Connor (pictured) and friend Bill who both passed their counterbalance and reach truck novice courses by completing a three day CB novice and then going onto complete a two day reach truck conversion.
Both boys were 19 years old and unsure on their next step towards a career. They came along for a taster session and quickly decided that forklift operating would be a good option and so booked in for a course.
When Connor was asked if he would recommend Key Performance Training, he answered; “Definitely, the instructors and facilities are all good and they give you the names of the agencies so it’s easy to find a job afterwards”.
Paul
Paul came to us as an experienced operator looking to refresh and expand on his skills. He already had experience as a counterbalance operator but needed to renew his license and so completed a Counterbalance refresher and Reach conversion course.
David picked up quickly that Paul was a competent driver who just needed a reminder on the latest legislations and safety procedures that have been updated since he last completed a course.
With no surprise to David, Paul passed with flying colours and is now a fully qualified operator of both trucks!
Artur
Congratulations to Artur who completed and passed his Reach truck conversion course.
The RTITB Counterbalance Lift Truck conversion course is aimed at currently certified lift truck operators wishing to convert their existing lift truck driving qualification and skills to include a counterbalance lift truck.
From completing the course, Artur gained a suitable and sufficient understanding of current relevant legislation, learnt new skills and the best practice of counterbalance lift trucks up to 5000kg.
Terry
Well done to Terry who passed his Counterbalance Novice course. As a novice operator, Terry had no prior experience of lift truck operation but wished to achieve a nationally recognised qualification in the safe and correct use of counterbalance lift trucks.
He was a pleasure to train and took everything on board excellently with a real eagerness to learn.
Now, Terry will have many more opportunities to get back into employment, especially as the counterbalance lift truck is one of the most common lift trucks in use today and are the workhorse of most materials handling operations.
Mike
Mike already had experience operating a reach truck but also wanted to expand his career options and get a license in safe operation of a counterbalance truck. Therefore, he completed a counterbalance conversion course.
Also, Mike recognised that he needed to refresh his Reach license as to follow health and safety legislations, licenses have to be refreshed every three years. He also completed his Reach truck refresher with us in the same week.
We would like to congratulate Mike, not only on his successful completion of the course but also for following the law and sticking with the health and safety legislations to get his license refreshed.
Why train with Key Performance Training?
We can offer RTITB accredited operator training and instruction from fully qualified and experienced instructors and examiners who are able to carry out training to the legal requirements.
This can help the likelihood of accidents and improve safety of operators and pedestrians in the workplace.
All our RTITB courses are held in our Swindon warehouse. If , however you are looking for an onsite course, we can cater to this too.
We’ve been keeping busy at the Key Performance Training warehouse. With COVID restrictions easing, we have been able to work at double occupancy; which means twice as many delegates can gain their license and unlock their pathway to employment! David and Calum worked hard on updating the warehouse so that we could have two sections for separate courses and the two of them have been busy ever since.
As we have entered a new month and summer is coming to an end, let’s take a look back at some of the successful delegates who have completed a course and gained their license with us throughout the month of August.
Amar Goes
Amar already had a Counterbalance truck license but wanted to expand his employment opportunities even further. He booked in and completed our Reach truck conversion course with an excellent pass rate.
He was also one of our first ex-Honda associates who completed a course with us since the closure of the Swindon Honda site. Our main aim as a business is to help delegates find a pathway to employment which is why we are offering discounts to all ex-Honda employees in a hope to get them back into employment as soon as possible.
Jackson and Francis:
Congratulations to Jackson and Francis who both completed and passed their Counterbalance truck refresher courses. Not only is it great that they did well and was successful on the course but it’s great to see delegates following the law and making sure to refresh their license every 3 years.
If you gained a forklift license over 3 years ago, then this is your sign that it needs to be refreshed if you are still operating or using forklift trucks.
For more about hazards that could occur if you do not refresh your license: https://keyperformancetraining.co.uk/these-beasts-are-of-great-assistance-and-dangerous/
Jack:
Jack completed his Reach and Counterbalance truck courses with us. For a delegate who wants to learn how to operate both trucks we put them onto a reach novice course for 3 days and then a conversion Counterbalance course for the last two days.
Although Jack is one of the youngest delegates we have trained (age 16), he absolutely smashed the course with an amazing pass score on both the theory and practical.
To check out some of jacks lift truck steering skills head over to our Instagram: @key.performance.training
Andre Gooden:
Andre was very successful in his Counterbalance novice course and went from someone who had never operated a forklift before to a confident driver in only a few days!
Often, delegates who come in for a novice course are very apprehensive and nervous that they may not succeed. If you are one of those people who is letting nerves put you off starting your career as a FLT driver, we can assure you that our trainers are qualified and experienced in working with delegates at all levels. With both our trainers having over 10 years in the industry, the chances are you won’t be the worst they’ve seen!
What are you waiting for? Book in for one of our forklift truck courses and perhaps you could be featured on next months blog!
With restrictions now easing we are happy to announce that we can officially run our ‘Forklift Fridays’ on the first Friday of every month starting from the 10th September. Forklift Fridays are a chance to come into the warehouse and get a feel for the courses we offer within a 2 hour, FREE taster session.
Although these sessions are optional and we can still book you in for a course if you do not attend, there are a multitude of benefits that you can gain from coming along, so we highly recommend!
In this blog I will be highlighting what is included on the day and how these elements can put you at an advantage before starting a course.
1. Meeting our team.
One of the most crucial aspects as to whether you will succeed on a course is whether you feel comfortable enough around the team- especially our trainer, David. We hope that once you meet David you will feel at ease immediately and all those initial nerves will fly out the window!
Many delegates come in for a course very nervous and apprehensive and within a couple of hours of speaking with David already begin to feel comfortable. Coming along for a taster session will therefore mean you are ‘ready and raring’ to go when course week comes around!
2. Learn more about the courses and forklift trucks
On the day, you will listen and take part in several activities such as presentations, video clips, demonstrations and some light hearted competitions\quizzes; all to open your eyes to the world of forklift trucks!
From these activities you will gain a better understanding of the need for adequate forklift training, the types of forklifts and the difference between them, what is included in the courses and also learn some interesting facts and stories from David’s 10 year+ experience with FLT.
Once again, you will then be more prepared and insightful on the week of your course.
3. Ask questions to our highly experienced trainers.
We understand that you want to be 100% sure about a course before booking, so we will always give you a chance to ask any questions that you may have regarding any aspect of the courses or trucks. Our trainers are highly experienced and knowledgeable so no questions are out of bounds.
4. Have a go on one or both trucks
After a couple of demonstrations, we will also allow you to have a quick go on the trucks and get a feel for the kind of practical learning you will be doing throughout your course. This may be the ultimate decider as to whether you do a Counterbalance, Reach course, or both.
This will also reduce the initial worries about how to operate controls, turn around etc on the week of your course which will also put you at a further advantage.
5. Meet new people
The previous ‘Forklift Fridays’ have all been a positive experience, even for those who don’t end up going on to do a course. We like to make the day as fun and interesting as possible. Ultimately, it’s a chance to meet new people who have similar interests, drink tea\coffee and eat biscuits. The best bit? The session is completely FREE. I mean, why wouldn’t you want to attend?
If you are interested in attending a ‘Forklift Friday’ or have any questions surrounding the day then please contact us;
At Key Performance Training, our aim is to provide delegates with a pathway to employment and help them find a job, a better job or a career.
In Swindon and the surrounding areas there are many job opportunities and a demand for Forklift Truck operators meaning that employment is easy to find after completing training. We see ourselves as the stepping stone between a delegate and their future in employment.
Below are the 4 steps towards the pathway of employment.
Step 1- Free Taster Session: Our free taster sessions or ‘Forklift Fridays’ are an opportunity for potential delegates to come along to the warehouse and find out more about the courses we offer. The session is up to two hours and includes demonstrations, information sheets, having a go on one or both trucks and also being given a chance to ask questions to our highly experienced trainers.
We want to be sure that all delegates are committed to a course before booking so we will always give feedback to either the delegate, the company or job coaches as to whether they are likely to succeed.
Step 2- Training: The duration of training can be anywhere from 1-5 days depending on the type of course, your level of experience and the delegates:trainer ratio. In all FLT courses there are elements of both theoretical and practical training that need to be completed before test day. At the end of the training you will be given both a theory and practical test that will be completed in a non- pressurised environment. Don?t worry though, as our trainers will make sure you are 100% ready before putting you in for the test and have the skills to put you at ease beforehand.
Step 3- You have your license: Successful learners will be presented with an RTITB approved certificate and photo ID card and will also be registered onto the RTITB National Operators Register Scheme database of approved forklift truck operators (NORS) for 3 years. We will then put you in contact with local employment agencies that can help you find work and also keep you updated on any new job vacancies that come up in the local area.
Step 4: Finding work- There you have it, you have now unlocked your pathway into employment! Often delegates find work 1-2 weeks after completing a course with us and although it is not certain you will find work straight away we always make sure you are the first people to know about any new job vacancies.
About Bob Hayward- The Managing Director and owner of Key Performance Training
Bob has had quite a journey from humble beginnings near Broad-water Farm in Tottenham (yes, he is a Spurs fan) failing his A levels and even the entrance exam for a Postman. Then a bad motor bike accident changed the course of his life forever. The six-week stay in hospital and the one year on crutches it took to recover led him to become a nurse. First a Registered General Nurse, then a spell in Intensive Care before taking a second-degree course in Psychiatric Nursing. After a 12-year career in nursing he took up selling and built a nursing agency from scratch to a 5.6 million turnover in five years. In his business career, Bob has started four businesses from scratch and built each of them to 1M turnover or more.
Bob actually hit the national headlines in 2001, but not for his business or consultancy skills, this was when he ran 33 marathons in only 40 days to get from Lands End to John O’groats in aid of a burns victim called ‘Podge’. He continues to raise money for charities close to his heart through marathon running and completed a further major test of endurance in October 2005 by running 6 marathons over 6 days across one of the hottest places in the world~ Death Valley~ this time in aid of Swindon food bank, tackling issues of poverty and deprivation.
How Key Performance Training started:
In 2017 Bob was involved in one of his many business ventures throughout his life; a recruitment firm recruiting pickers and packers for warehouses. He became aware that there was a huge demand for Forklift Truck Drivers in general but specifically in Swindon and the surrounding areas. As the business minded man he is, he decided to try and meet this demand by setting up a FLT training company to get as many people their license as possible and also to upskill pickers and packers.
The next stage? He needed to find a warehouse. After searching, he found a suitable location in Upper Stratton Headlands Unit trading estate where ‘Mr Shifter’ a local house moving and storage company were located and had enough room to rent out half of the warehouse for KPT. Bob and the 3 owners of Mr Shifter came to an agreement that they would all co-own the business and after months of finalisations on the 19th December 2017 Key Performance Training was born.
Although Bob had expertise and business knowledge behind him, he had no idea how to operate, let alone teach people how to operate Forklift Trucks. This was where the expert came in – David Gearon.
David had years of FLT training experience behind him from working as a trainer at Honda for 5 years, being a subcontractor for a company called Mentor for a further 2 years and then going on to turn around a company with a particularly bad reputation of their safety around FLT and getting them to do things the proper way. Whilst Bob was creating KPT, David was working in a job that he wasn’t enjoying and wanted to get back into training. By chance, as his contract was coming to an end, he saw advertised a job as a FLT trainer for a new company Key Performance Training and applied instantly. The recruiters knew how amazing David was at what he does and was surprised that he was out of training work. He was invited in for an interview at the warehouse which solidified that he would be the perfect man for the job.
Now , 4 years later and with Bob now as the sole owner and David as the head trainer. KPT is still surviving; even through a pandemic where nobody could be trained!
The theme
for the 2020 International Women’s Day campaign is #EachforEqual. An equal
world is an enabled world.
How to enter the competition
Take a photograph or selfie in front of a forklift truck with your arms in the position shown and add it to your social media account. This can be on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn. Remember to use ALL THREE hashtags #IWD2020 #EachforEqual #KPT and tag the relevant Key Performance Training Account on that platform, or that of David Gearon or Bob Hayward.
How the winner will be decided:
The winner will be the person whose social media post gets the most likes and shares. The photograph must be of the person who owns that social media account, they must have their arms in the position demonstrated, the post must contain all three hashtags and tag Key Performance or one of the two owners.
Why are
we doing this?
At Key Performance Training, we are choosing to challenge stereotypes, broaden perceptions, and seek to be a pathway to better equal employment opportunities.
In the last two years, only five of the 80 delegates who have become qualified forklift operators through Key Performance Training were ladies. There is no reason for forklift operating to be the preserve of our male colleagues. There is no reason that anyone, male or female, must be big, strong or bulky to operate a forklift. The fact is that Forklift Trucks are just as suitable for men and women to drive as are cars.
A career as
a Forklift driver is an underrated profession and often overlooked by women who
may not recognise the high demand for Forklift operators. Anyone over 16 can
drive forklift truck and earnings are above average for warehouse and logistic
roles. Forklift driving can be a great pathway into better employment for
everyone #EachforEqual
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