As one of the UK’s premier forklift operator and instructor training centres, HL Training Services wanted to expand by running more courses and increasing its number of registered instructors. However, it wasn’t sure how to approach the process, so back in 2018, it opted to join AITT — the fastest growing accrediting body for material handling equipment training.
Time for expansion
HL Training Service’s UK-wide operation offers all levels of forklift operator and instructor training under the direction of Company Directors Vince, Shane, and Jason. This includes counterbalance equipment, 360 excavators, pallet stacker trucks, and more.
However, when it joined AITT in 2018 after 30 years of establishing themselves in the industry, one of the primary objectives was expansion.
Company Director, Vince Jnr Hueston explains: “Since joining AITT, we have really added value to the company by building up our customer base. As we have more customers, we are able to run more courses and as a result, we have access to more instructors than ever before.”
Increasing exposure while keeping costs low
To overcome these challenges, HL Training Services partnered with AITT to help increase its exposure and therefore justify the need for extra courses.
Company Director, Shane Richardson continues: “We’d seen AITT growing rapidly in the years before we joined, and we didn’t want to miss out on the chance to work with them. We knew how they’d helped other businesses expand in the same way that we were hoping to.
“The accreditation process was simple, and it was a pleasant surprise to see registration costs lower than anywhere I’d seen before.
“As soon as we were accredited, AITT made an instant impact. They adjusted details like course timings and promotion because they knew what worked from experience. And while we wanted their help with expansion, we didn’t want that to come at the cost of our training standards. Thankfully, there was no risk of that.”
60% increase in instructor courses at HL Training Services
A combination of added exposure and operational tweaks means that HL Training Services has increased its number of instructor courses from 10 to 16 a year.
Company Director, Jason Hueston says: “Thanks to the promotion done on the AITT website and social media, as well as tweaks to course timings, we’ve already had our October courses booked up. This is a great improvement and something that we’ve noticed has significantly improved since we became a member of AITT. We’re always confident now that we can put on those extra courses without the concern that they won’t be attended.”
And just because more courses are being run, standards certainly aren’t dropping.
Shane Richardson continues: “Whoever I speak with about AITT is always happy with its work down the years. Trainers are happy that their courses are booked up, and the support they get is unmatched.
AITT is never more than a phone call away, and it makes sure we know we can get in touch whenever we need to. I was initially concerned that this might’ve just been because we were new members, but in the 8 years we’ve worked with AITT, the level of support has never dropped.
“It helped us to develop a real culture here where trainers take pride in gaining their accredited qualification and it gives them confidence in their own training.”
For more information on HL Training Services, visit: In House and On Site MHE Training Bristol | Forklift Specialists
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