Water Safety Advice For Your BusinessRoyal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) is proud to be the UK and Ireland's industry leader in water-related safety qualifications and training for aquatic, open water, and beach operators and be recognised worldwide as an expert in lifeguarding and water safety. We work with an impressive list of national leisure operators and partners - from hotels, spas, and competition pools to leisure centres, aqua parks and open water venues and have supported many businesses and landowners in meeting their responsibilities to water safety. Our trusted brand gives peace of mind to businesses and the millions of people who access the facilities and sites we support. Qualifications and Awards Water safety training is essential for any business with employees working on, in, or near water. Every year, we certify more than 60,000 regulated qualifications and non-regulated vocational training awards, and more lifeguards qualify with RLSS UK than any other awarding body! Training We support many large organisations and businesses with more bespoke training needs - including the cruise and holiday industries. We can adapt 'off the shelf' RLSS UK qualifications and awards to provide a solution or create new, bespoke training products or packages tailored to your business. Consultancy We are experts at delivering clear and practical consultancy support to any business, organisation or individual with liabilities to visitors and staff around water. Our consultancy work is varied, and we cover a wide range of locations across the UK. For example, in 2023, we completed projects including water safety risk assessments for indoor pools and open water venues, local authorities and private landowners who own/manage bodies of water, as well as water safety audits on the coast. RLSS UK Shop We are also at the forefront of supporting companies in manufacturing and distributing innovative and compliant lifesaving equipment, and the RLSS UK Shop offers official uniforms and training, first aid, and safety equipment for the leisure industry and beyond. To learn how we can help your business, contact [email protected]. Our trusted brand gives peace of mind to businesses and the millions of customers who access the facilities we support.To find out how we can help your business, contact us at [email protected]. Free Water Safety Advice Water Safety - Am I Doing Enough? Essential Water Safety Guidance Consultancy Services How We Can Help Consultancy Projects Make an Enquiry DEFRA Training NWSMP - DEFRA National Water Safety Management Programme (NWSMP) Water Rescue Equipment Training (WRET) Choosing the right water safety training course Aqua Park Services Accreditation Equipment Industry Qualifications Why Choose Us For Your Staff For Your Customers Bespoke Training How We Can Help Make an Enquiry Deliver our Qualifications Partners Become an Approved Training Centre / Provider Become a Commercial Partner Become a Water Safety Partner RLSS UK Advisors Latest Blogs Bridging the Gap Chris Harper, the RLSS UK’s Youth Advisor to the Management Board, has given us an insight into the Youth Development Officer’s role… One of the complaints I regularly hear is that young people are simply unwilling to fill the roles that are available on committees. The question this brings to my mind is not “what’s wrong with young people today?” rather I wonder what could be changed to alter that trend. The first thought relates to why young people might be different to their experienced colleagues. It strikes me that the positions that are not being filled by young people are the ones that remain when longstanding members are unwilling to perform them. Possibly then, it is not a concern about young people but rather one of the positions as they stand. This is a concern for another post and a whole new conversation. This is also, not a very satisfactory answer in terms of attempting to reverse this apparent trend. I wonder then, are young people being asked to take too large a step? What incentive do young people or people generally, have to sit on their local committees? I think of the reasons for taking on a role as being split into two categories. The first is having the confidence and experience to fill that role effectively. If someone does not feel they will be able to perform a role well, they are unlikely to be willing to take it on. The second is a selfishly altruistic approach to benefiting one’s own peers. Often the reason that people move into organisation and management at club level is to help their peers and their friends. They feel that they can provide some input that will change the way those people experience their time in the club. This step is the first step to organise and affect local lifesaving; similar models can be ascribed as local people begin to show an interest in branch and regional activity. They gain the experience and confidence from their involvement at club level and feel that they can provide positive input to help affect decisions that affect themselves and their peers locally. I draw on my own experience in considering what drives someone to greater involvement in the Society. I joined my branch management committee at 14 as the “Junior Representative”. My motivation was twofold, first I knew people who were current members of the committee and had often heard them speak positively of it. Secondly, I felt I could genuinely represent the interests of my peers and other young people in the branch, particularly at my club. At that stage I had no desire to take on a greater role. I had neither the experience nor knowledge to progress. I now represent the views of my peers and the young people across the society on Management Board. This progression can be attributed to the mentors that I had locally. This support provided me with the knowledge and empowerment to gain the valuable experience. As I gained experience I gained confidence and discovered that I could progressively affect the way local lifesaving was delivered. This is where the importance of the Youth Development Officer and Youth Mentor positions becomes clear. The YDO works for the benefit of their peers and their experience as a young person, often seen as a disadvantage, is a key aspect. A Youth Mentor is able to boost the YDO’s confidence and provides them a link to the existing committee, building relationships that lead to that young person being more likely to take on a more senior role to benefit the branch and their committee colleagues. Manage Cookie Preferences