As well as being an National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) trainer I recently became an RLSS UK First aid trainer and assessor. I chose to do this after being asked by a few of my centres to run First Aid at Work (FAW) along with other courses. Not only has this opened up a lot of new doors for my business but also given me a lot of new experiences and a greater in-depth knowledge of the whole subject. With the new “Millie’s law”, which came into place recently, now is an ideal time to become a FAW tutor with the RLSS UK and offer extra courses to your companies. You can run it alongside the NPLQ, National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches (NRASTC), and give staff an additional qualification alongside the standard course.  As we know the first few minutes can be crucial in an accident or incident and improving the number of staff able to administer essential first aid using this qualification is a positive move forward for any workplace environment. It is an interesting course and although there is an overlap with the NPLQ I feel the extra knowledge gained is a big benefit and would give staff more confidence to deal with what can be scary and difficult situations.

James Rankin