Tag Archives: HABC

New customer service qualification from Highfield

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Customer Service Level 1 Businesses looking to teach their staff the foundations of customer service now can thanks to a new qualification from Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance (HABC).

The HABC Level 1 Award in Customer Service (QCF) is aimed at learners who work with – or intend to work with – customers on a daily basis as part of their job role.   Suitable for use across any working environment, the qualification is ideal for learners aged 14 and over who are new to the customer service sector and wish to improve their knowledge of this area and achieve a nationally recognised qualification.

Further information on the HABC Level 1 Award in Customer Service (QCF), and our full suite of customer service qualifications, is available here .

If you would like to be among the first to deliver this qualification and are a Highfield Centre, then please contact your account manager directly regarding this. If you are not currently a Highfield Centre, but would like to become one, then click here .

Food fraud event targets Yorkshire and the Humber

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Professor Chris Elliott Food producers, retailers and caterers across Yorkshire and the Humber will get the chance to learn more about food fraud and how to combat it at a major conference to be held in the region this September.

The Fighting Food Fraud conference , held at Doncaster Racecourse on 17 September 2015, will feature Professor Chris Elliott, author of the Elliott Review into the Integrity and Assurance of Food Supply Networks – the UK government’s report into the horsemeat scandal of 2013 – and will look at how businesses can best protect the public and themselves.

Professor Elliott will be joined by Andy Morling, the recently appointed head of the Food Standards Agency ’s (FSA) Food Crime Unit, who will discuss its role and impact so far, plus John Figgins, BRC Technical Specialist, who will provide an insight into compliance with newly issued food safety standards.

According to the National Guidance Research Forum at the Warwick Institute for Employment Research, University of Warwick , the food sector in Yorkshire and the Humber is estimated to be worth over £7 billion a year and employ over 52,000 people.  Employment in the region is concentrated in North Yorkshire (20%), NE Lincolnshire (10%), Hull (8%), Wakefield (8%) and Leeds (7%).

Professor Elliott said, ‘Food fraud has fast become one of the key issues for the food industry.  From suppliers such as farms and abattoirs, to manufacturers, packagers and supermarkets, even to caterers, restaurants and licensed premises – every business in the chain is affected by food fraud and the negative effect it has upon consumer confidence.  It is up to businesses to understand the types of food fraud and its indicators, its penalties and consequences, and why protecting the wider food industry begins with businesses informing and protecting themselves’.

The conference, which is expected to attract leading food safety specialists from some of the UK’s biggest retailers, caterers and manufacturers, is being organised by Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance (HABC) , one of the UK’s leading exam boards.

Tickets cost £170 plus VAT, or £130 plus VAT for HABC members.

To book your place, phone 0845 2260350 or email info@highfieldabc.net For more information, go to www.highfieldabc.com

For regular updates, go to https://twitter.com/HighfieldABC and www.facebook.com/HighfieldABC
ENDS
Notes to editors:

  1. Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance (‘HABC’) is one of the UK’s leading awarding organisations, offering over 200 qualifications covering a wide variety of industries including food safety, customer service, health and safety, licensing, security, stewarding, retail, logistics, catering and hospitality.

Extra qualifications to be funded by SFA

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HABC Logo The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has announced that it will fund 12 more HABC qualifications further to those already announced.

HABC had already obtained agreement from the SFA for the funding of 48 qualifications earlier in the year, but has now had confirmation for another 12 after a successful appeal.

The qualifications, which will have funding available from 1 August 2015, are:

  • HABC Level 2 Certificate in Preparing to Work in Adult Social Care (QCF)
  • HABC Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care (Adults) for England (QCF)
  • HABC Level 2 Certificate in Hospitality and Catering Principles (Food Production and Cooking) (QCF)
  • HABC Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Food and Beverage Service (QCF)
  • HABC Level 3 Diploma in Management (QCF)
  • HABC Level 3 NVQ Certificate in Spectator Safety (QCF)
  • HABC Level 2 Certificate in Driving Goods Vehicles (QCF)
  • HABC Level 2 Certificate for the Children and Young People’s Workforce (QCF)
  • HABC Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Beverage Service (QCF)
  • HABC Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Food Service (QCF)
  • HABC Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Contact Centre Operations (QCF)
  • HABC Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Customer Service (QCF)

The additional 12 qualifications will be added to the 2015/2016 simplified funding rates catalogue.

To access the list of all funded qualifications, click here

If you are a HABC Approved Centre and have any questions regards qualifications and funding, please contact your account manager directly.

National food safety conference this September for Doncaster

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Some of the UK’s top experts will be descending on Doncaster this September for a national conference to tackle the issue of food fraud.

Professor Chris Elliott Fighting Food Fraud , held at Doncaster Racecourse on 17 September 2015, will feature Professor Chris Elliott , author of the Elliott Review into the Integrity and Assurance of Food Supply Networks – the UK government’s report into the horsemeat scandal of 2013 – and will look at how businesses can best protect the public and themselves.

Professor Elliott will be joined by Andy Morling, the recently appointed head of the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) Food Crime Unit , who will discuss its role and impact so far, plus John Figgins, BRC Technical Specialist, who will provide an insight into compliance with newly issued food safety standards.

The conference, which is expected to attract over 100 leading food safety specialists from some of the UK’s biggest retailers, caterers and manufacturers, is being organised by the Doncaster-based Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance (HABC) , one of the UK’s leading awarding organisations.

Professor Elliott said, ‘Food fraud has fast become one of the key issues for the food industry. From suppliers such as farms and abattoirs, to manufacturers, packagers and supermarkets, even to caterers, restaurants and licensed premises – every business in the chain is affected by food fraud and the negative effect it has upon consumer confidence. It is up to businesses to understand the types of food fraud and its indicators, its penalties and consequences, and why protecting the wider food industry begins with businesses informing and protecting themselves’.

Nikki Griffiths, Director of Sales at Doncaster Racecourse said, ‘We are very happy to be welcoming HABC to Doncaster racecourse to hold the Fighting Food Fraud Conference in September, and we are hoping this is the start of a series of events held here for HABC’.

Tickets cost £170 plus VAT, or £130 plus VAT for HABC members.

To book your place, phone 0845 2260350 or email info@highfieldabc.net For more information, go to www.highfieldabc.com

For regular updates, go to Twitter and www.facebook.com/HighfieldABC
ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance (HABC) is one of the UK’s leading awarding organisations, offering over 200 qualifications covering a wide variety of industries including food safety, customer service, health and safety, licensing, security, stewarding, retail, logistics, catering and hospitality.

Updates to HABC Level 3 Award in Food Allergen Management for Caterers

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Allergens HABC has made changes to the Level 3 Award in Food Allergen Management for Caterers after asking Centres how the qualification could be improved.

The changes see updates to the assessment pack and accompanying Tutor, Assessor an IQA (TAI) Pack to make some of the tasks more relevant to the learners taking the qualification, while guidance on acceptable answers, delivery options, assessment and quality assurance processes has been simplified and made clearer.

The qualification is also now recognised by Ofqual , meaning that learner certificates will now include the regulator’s logos.

HABC recommends that Centres currently delivering the qualification use the updated packs immediately (available here ). If you have any further queries to do with the qualification, please contact your account manager.

Gold Standard for Water Conditioning Services UK Training Academy

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Cogent Sarah The Water Conditioning Services UK Training Academy was celebrating in May after being awarded one of the top accolades for training in the science-based sector.

The Daventry-based organisation, which is a HABC Approved Centre, was recognised as a Cogent Gold Standard Training Provider for its high standards and commitment to quality learning in life-sciences and water treatment sectors.

Cogent skills are an employer-led organisation, which uses government funding to meet the skills gaps within the sector through working in partnership to design fit for purpose apprenticeships, formal qualifications and training courses. The accolade of being awarded a Gold Standard by Cogent Skills firmly positions the Training Academy as a centre of choice in the delivery of science based training solutions.

Being awarded the Gold Standard by Cogent Skills marks Water Conditioning Services UK Training Academy out as one of the centres of choice for delivery for the delivery of science-based training solutions.

The Water Conditioning Services UK Training Academy (formerly B & V Training Academy ) provides robust, formal training in controlling water-borne pathogens within water systems, in particular Legionella control. Water Conditioning Services UK has always firmly believed that they can best support their customers through providing comprehensive training programmes to ensure they get the most out of the services and chemicals supplied to them.

Part of the Training Academy’s commitment to delivering high quality training solutions led to partnerships with external awarding organisations, including Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance (HABC) to develop brand new formal qualifications in Legionella control .

The development of new formal Ofqual accredited qualifications for legionella control has also grabbed the attention of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) who have recognised the value that SUEZ environnement have provided to the industry in the development of regulated training solutions.

The Training Academy has already been recognised as finalists for a H&V News Award and a Northamptonshire Business Excellence Award last year, and were successful in winning the Medilink East Midlands Collaboration with the NHS Award.

Sarah Pallett, Head of Training Academy Water Conditioning Services UK, said, ‘The Training Academy has a clear focus and commitment to being the best provider of training and development within the water industry. As we expand our portfolio of qualifications and courses we recognise that our expertise lies firmly within the water treatment industry and will not deviate from this core provision. We are committed to working collaboratively with key stakeholders, regulators and customers to provide innovative new training solutions in water hygiene and water management’.

For more information, click here

Professor Elliott to speak at fighting food fraud event

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Fighting Food Fraud HABC is launching the first in a series of specialised food safety events, giving food sector professionals the tools they need to fight food fraud.

Taking up the challenges posed by the Elliott Review , Fighting Food Fraud is aimed at food safety, environmental health, trading standards professionals, practitioners and educators, and will feature some of the world’s top experts including Professor Chris Elliott himself.

Held at Doncaster Racecourse on 17 September 2015, the event will help food safety and enforcement professionals understand more about the threat food fraud poses to the UK, the recent scandals involving food supply and sourcing, and identifying emerging risks.

Key topics covered will also include:

  • An overview of food fraud and The Elliott Review
  • Types of food fraud and indicators for fraud
  • Supply chain integrity and food authenticity
  • How industry needs to protect itself and what progress has been made so far
  • The role of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Food Crime Unit , plus an update
  • Penalties and consequences
  • Food crime intelligence.

Delegates will also have the opportunity to discuss the new Issue 7 of the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety , released in January 2015 and which will commence from July 2015. This session will guide delegates through the content of the new Standard and give some guidance with regard to compliance with the new requirements.

Guest speakers confirmed for Fighting Food Fraud include:

  • Professor Chris Elliott, Professor of Food Safety and Director of the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast
  • Andy Morling, Head of Food Crime at the FSA
  • John Figgins, BRC Technical Specialist – Food.

Richard Sprenger, HABC Chairman, said, ‘Food authenticity has become under close scrutiny recently from food retailers, manufacturers and consumers. Food law enforcement must be delivered effectively so that consumers can have confidence in the food they eat. With ongoing work to identify potential food fraud this has fast become a key topic within the food safety industry’.

Delegates will also have the opportunity to discuss issues and network with the speaker panel in our Q&A session.

Lunch, refreshments and CPD certificate are all included in the price.

CPD
Attendance at this event entitles you to 6 CPD points.

Who should attend?
Anyone interested in food safety including professionals, practitioners and educators in:

  • Food safety
  • Environmental health
  • Trading standards.

Cost/Book Now

  • HABC Centre: £130 + VAT
  • Non-HABC Centre: £170 + VAT

*limited places and subject to availability.

If you are a training centre, please select here to book your place(s). Students wishing to attend this event must submit their enquiry to shoulbrook@highfieldabc.net

Promotional Opportunities
If you are interested in promoting your business at our event then we can provide marketing opportunities to suit your budget, with prices starting from £99 + VAT.

Exhibitor spaces will be positioned within the networking area and places are still available. Exhibition spaces available from £300 + VAT.

To become a sponsor/exhibitor, please submit your enquiry to shoulbrook@highfieldabc.net

To join the Highfield Food Safety Forum on LinkedIn where this event will be regularly discussed, please visit here .

New learning resources from Highfield at Health + Care

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The Highfield Group will be attending this year’s Health+Care exhibition , bringing you all the latest you need in training and education resources to help your staff and learners complete the Care Certificate .

And available to try on the Highfield stand (R54) will be one of the most comprehensive e-learning systems for the Care Certificate , as well as a range of other material to support learners in the health and social care sectors.

HF Care Cert1 The software, from Highfield e-Learning , is designed to support delivery of the knowledge elements of the Care Certificate. It can be fitted into existing workplace induction programmes and covers all 15 standards included in the Care Certificate, with a 30 minute course for each of the standards to test knowledge and understanding.

HF Care Cert2 The e-learning is flexible so that each learner can complete the standards specific to their role, and is mapped to official health and social care qualifications so that prior learning can be recognised. It is also fully customisable so that it meets the needs of individual organisations, and trackable so that learner progress can be monitored and verified.

Cleaning (resized) Highfield e-learning is part of the same group as Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance (‘HABC’) , which was commissioned by Health Education England , Skills for Care and Skills for Health to develop the official Care Certificate workbook to support its introduction across the health and social care sectors from 1 April 2015.

healthcare pic - 4 Staff will be on hand to discuss the qualifications available from HABC, including its suite of health and social care qualifications , and its range of compliance qualifications such as first aid , manual handling and health and safety .

490732749_5 And there will be a range of learning resources from Highfield.co.uk covering subjects such as infection control , first aid , dementia and health and social care .

Health+Care takes place at Excel, London, on 24-25 June 2015.

For more information on Highfield e-learning, HABC and the Care Certificate, click here .

For regular updates, go to Twitter and Facebook .
ENDS
Media Contact: Mark Phillips, Communications Manager
Email: mphillips@highfieldabc.net

SIA requests Centres double-check learners’ details

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sia-logo The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has requested that Centres take extra care when uploading the details of learners sitting assessments for licence-linked qualifications.

Currently, the SIA is experiencing increased failure rates for licence applications because learners’ details are recorded incorrectly – something that has an impact on the SIA, training Centres and of course learners.

HABC is asking that all its Approved Centres double-check and accurately record learners’ full names exactly as shown on their identity documents to avoid unnecessary delays, as names that do not match identity documents will be returned.

If you have any queries about any stage of the process, please contact your HABC account manager.

Safeguarding learning – dealing with fraud and malpractice

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Chris Daniel As part of an ongoing series, HABC Strategic Director Chris Daniel looks at the various issues affecting the training sector, helping you to make sense of the numerous rules and regulations whilst providing tips and guidance.

In this article, Chris looks at the issue of fraud and malpractice, and how Awarding Organisations such as HABC safeguard learning and qualifications.

You may well have seen the recent BBC Inside Out programme regarding fraud and malpractice within the private security industry. The programme highlights some of the issues and practices of unscrupulous centres whose understanding or implementation of requirements is sacrificed for short-term gain.

HABC has always stated our upmost commitment towards preventing, finding and dealing with malpractice or fraud. Our strategy has always been to eradicate these practices in order to secure a long-term confidence in the qualifications that we offer. To achieve this, HABC has the most rigorous and stringent risk-management safeguards in place. Our objective for these safeguards is to protect the interests of learners and the validity and integrity of all of our qualifications.

HABC has one of the largest quality assurance department’s of all approved Awarding Organisations in relation to the number of qualifications awarded. The teams in the department work tirelessly to prevent malpractice and conduct thorough investigations if we have the slightest suspicion a misdemeanour has been committed. A good example of how this works in practice can be demonstrated by the fact that warning generators created by HABC’s system previously alerted us to one of the centres referred to in the BBC investigation featured on the Inside-Out programme. This led to HABC refusing an application for centre approval from this organisation in 2013.

HABC does not rest on its laurels, and are well aware that the potential for fraud and malpractice can never be entirely eliminated. To address this issue, HABC has many comprehensive and robust procedures and processes in place to help prevent, identify and address these serious concerns above and beyond those undertaken by some other Awarding Organisations approved to award licence-linked security qualifications. These include having a separate approval process for tutors, placing undercover mystery shoppers on full courses, undertaking regular unannounced audits and operating a policy that every single piece of assessment documentation is scrutinised via a 10-stage checking process.

With our strategy and commitment towards world-class customer service, HABC’s approach towards malpractice is one of honesty and transparency. We realise that sometimes issues can arise in centres. In these instances we will work alongside a centre to correct these issues. However, centres cannot become complacent because a zero-tolerance policy is applied if HABC find evidence of deliberate or sustained malpractice. Be assured, centre and/or tutor approval will be removed from guilty parties along with the matter being reported to relevant authorities and Awarding Organisations. If evidence of criminal activity is found this will also be reported to the police.

HABC is regularly inspected and audited by the relevant regulators and the feedback is consistently that HABC’s practices, policies and procedures in place are extremely strong and adhere to regulatory requirements. Additionally, we are often approached for guidance in dealing with matters involving malpractice and fraud. HABC has also given formal presentations setting out our robust approach to other Awarding Organisations operating in the security sector and to our regulators.

So in summary, HABC will not hesitate to take action against any centre or person found to be actively involved in malpractice or fraud, and has done so on numerous occasions in the past. When this has happened we ensure that we inform our regulators and other Awarding Organisations in accordance with our regulatory requirements. Our zero-tolerance approach also dictates that we will not approve any company or person known to have a history of malpractice/fraud.

If you have any questions or issues you would like addressed by Chris, please leave a response in the comments section and we’ll contact you directly.