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Classroom teaching. Preparation of training course.
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When it comes to training the most important word in the English language is preparation. It cannot be stressed too much about the need for preparation before any lesson, classroom or practical, is conducted.
There are basically four stages to preparation. The first stage is known as early preparation and it takes very little effort to do. The instructor should ask themselves, or maybe someone else, a few simple questions which are shown above.
The first question is WHEN? As an example it is no good completing a forklift instructors' course on Friday and then immediately starting to conduct a training course the next Monday. Where would the preparation time be?
The next question is WHERE? It's fine if you are working in a well-equipped training centre but what if you conduct the course at a company where you work? You would have to establish if there was a suitable room in which the classroom sessions could take place. This is important and in fact is mentioned in the forklift ACOP L117.
The next question is WHO? In other words, who are my intended audience? It follows that the classroom session will be different for a novice forklift truck operator compared to that for an operator who is undertaking a refresher course. It therefore also follows that your preparation may well be different for different types of forklift operator.
Another vital question is HOW LONG? In other words, how long have I got to complete this classroom session? There are many employers who encourage instructors to rush things and get the training over with as quickly as possible because it's interfering with production. This type of interference needs to be addressed by the instructor particularly if he or she is an in-house company instructor. With experience instructors know how long their classroom session is going to take and attempts to reduce the course duration will result in ineffective training.
Disclaimer. The legislative information contained on this web site is my interpretation of the law based on many years in the health and safety business. A definitive interpretation can only be given by the courts. I will therefore not be held responsible for any accident/incident/prosecution arising as a consequence of anyone using any information obtained from this web site.