5 minute read
DGOT proves the value of online training
REMOTE CONTROL
TRAINING • ONLINE TRAINING HAS COME INTO ITS OWN DURING THE PANDEMIC BUT THE BENEFITS IT OFFERS ARE BEING RECOGNISED AND IT SEEMS THIS MAY BE THE FUTURE
THE CURRENT PANDEMIC has forced many regulators to issue extensions to mandatory dangerous goods training validity as classroom training courses have been put on hold. This has encouraged employers to look for alternative ways of training, with online or remote training increasing in popularity.
There is, however, still a perception that this approach is inadequate or that students will receive inferior training. Online learning has come a long way since the days of “click and play” when you could carry on with emails whilst the training ran in the background, without any interaction required. With over four thousand hours of development time to obtain approval from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Dangerous Goods Online Training Limited’s (DGOT) training courses push the boundaries in quality, design and student interaction. Being the ONLY online training provider approved by the UK CAA is a testament to this!
One major advantage of a DGOT’s courses is the amount of time students spend navigating their way around the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) as part of the learning process. This is something that is advantageous over instructor-led classroom courses, particularly as the IATA DGR is the main “tool of the trade” for those employed in the dangerous goods supply chain.
Students also have the advantage of undertaking the training in a location of their choice, at their own pace, avoiding the need to commute to a remote training site, incurring additional costs and regularly including overnight accommodation. All the training courses are designed for initial and recurrent training, with the time taken to complete each module being dependent on the competence of each student. It is also worth pointing out that the examination the online students take is the same one used for classroom training courses.
Several airline ground handling agents (GHAs) have recently adopted DGOT’s training courses to enable their employees’ training to be within date. Having a requirement to train several hundred staff returning to work when social distancing requirements remain in place is impractical for classroom courses. Having access to an online training platform enables the employees to undertake the training prior to their return. There is even the option for employers to be assigned their own portal within the learning management system so they can self-administer the
allocation of training to their employees. Each portal can have its own branding to enable a corporate identity.
HOW REMOTE CAN YOU GET? A key advantage of online training is that the courses can be undertaken in any location. This has been proven recently when DGOT had students in isolated locations, such as the Outer Hebrides, Isle of Man and the Falkland Islands, successfully complete their training.
Recently one student pushed the limits when it came to this very concept. When faced with a training issue due to working remotely from land, what is the only option available when requiring dangerous goods training? Online dangerous goods training of course! DGOT was able to offer a solution to such a problem with its ability to offer online training and remote one-to-one examinations to anyone, anywhere at any time.
Eddie Campbell, a material coordinator who works offshore on a semi-submersible drilling rig based in the South China Sea, can verify this very point. Being responsible for the shipping of dangerous goods off the rig as well as receiving them onboard means he was required to revalidate his certificate once it reached its expiration date. He was in need of a reliable dangerous goods training school that could offer remote learning and a remote examination.
Part of Eddie’s role is to check the paperwork for each shipment as well as packaging and labelling dangerous goods before shipping them back onshore. Dangerous goods training is mandatory in his company to ensure he is undertaking his role legally - as it undoubtedly is for other people working on oil rigs around the world. THERE AND BACK Eddie initially thought that it would be a challenge to complete dangerous goods training in a self-learning style but he actually found doing it this way was straightforward. The content of the training was more than ample to allow him to complete the course independently without an instructor in the room, as Eddie can verify: “As I am stuck on a rig in China, I was beginning to think there was no option to refresh my course as this has always had to be completed in a classroom environment. However, being able to get the paper couriered over and then the exam being observed through the conference call ability, allowed me to complete my refresher at a suitable time, all the way over here. Without this course option, I would have struggled to continue in my current role.”
The examination paper was shipped to Eddie, who sat his examination before Christmas. Eddie says: “The exam process worked very well and I would be happy to complete this course and exam in a similar way again.” The examination was couriered back to DGOT immediately after finishing the paper. “The exam paper arrived on time and the exam went without a hitch and I got a high pass mark so I am happy with the way everything went.”
AROUND THE CORNER But what will the training environment look like in a post-Covid world? With competencybased dangerous goods training and assessment on the horizon for the aviation industry from 2023, open public training courses with a focus on passing the examination will soon become a thing of the past. DGOT is already ahead of the game, being already able to offer bespoke training for its students and seeing it fulfilling the needs of each individual to ensure that training fits the employer’s purpose and that the training is always effective and an efficient way to learn. This approach will ensure that all training and assessment will be tailored to address only the tasks relevant to a job function for each student.
With the obstacle of lockdown due to Covid-19 and socially distancing changing the nature of classroom learning at present, Dangerous Goods Online Training Limited is continuing to meet the needs of the industry. With approval from the UK Civil Aviation Authority to offer one-to-one remote examinations, this has been a real life-line for many students, particularly those requiring their recurrent shipper training in remote locations across the UK and in Europe.
Dangerous Goods Online Training Limited is pleased to offer HCB readers a 10 per cent discount on all of its online training courses using discount code DGOTHCB. For further details go to www.dgonline.training, call +44 (0) 800 649 6799 or email info@dgonline.training.
ALL PARTICIPANTS IN THE AIR TRANSPORT CHAIN
ARE FINDING BENEFIT FROM BEING ABLE
TO COMPLETE TRAINING AND EXAMINATIONS
