Virtual classroom brings IOSH Managing Safely to real life

The virtual classroom goes beyond standard video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, providing features designed for learning. These include interactive, multi-user whiteboards, quiz and polling functions, and collaboration tools for small group work.

Make UK delivers accredited training for industry, including NEBOSH and IOSH health and safety courses, with classroom and elearning options. E-learning is an effective way for people to learn facts about a subject in their own time, at their own pace. However, to understand complex topics, many learners prefer a classroom with an expert, knowledgeable tutor, and fellow students to work alongside.

With organisations conscious of the financial and environmental cost of travelling, Make UK had been developing a virtual classroom to fill the gap between face-to-face training and elearning as part of its digital strategy. The coronavirus outbreak, and the travel restrictions that came with it, accelerated the development and roll-out of the platform.

With a COVID-19 travel ban, Charlotte Hunter, Learning and Development Manager for global technology company ABB Limited, was forced to cancel the classroom-based IOSH Managing Safely courses booked with Make UK. Hunter explained: “It was important that we continued the development of our people, so we asked Make UK to explore options to provide training in a virtual classroom.”

Ian Cooke, Health, Safety and Sustainability lead at Make UK responded: “We were quickly able to provide ABB with a demonstration, so they could see what delegates would get.”

For ABB, Hunter reported: “Make UK listened to what we needed and translated this into a virtual training scenario that ensured quality was not compromised.” IOSH Managing Safely was delivered to 3 classes of managers from ABB using the virtual classroom, with all delegates passing the end of course exam, and reporting a positive learning experience.

Course delegates agreed that the virtual approach 'worked very well' and that the 'Flexibility to deliver virtually, given the circumstances, was excellent'. They also complemented the blend of learning activities that the tutor use, with two features getting special mention:

“Good use of group breakout activities”

“The interactive whiteboard was fab.”

The virtual classroom technology is only successful with a skilled tutor, and delegates felt the Make UK tutors hit the mark:

“Pleasantly surprised, I thought three days of online safety training might be a bit intense but Ian was a very good tutor and varied the delivery style. Everyone was able to contribute.”

“Energetic and knowledgeable tutor.”

“Tutor did a great job to get everyone engaged throughout the course.”

Make UK is now able to offer the benefits of the virtual classroom to delegates from any company, anywhere in the world, who want to study the well-recognised IOSH Managing Safely course.

To get a flavour of the Make UK virtual classroom, see the virtual classroom video on the Make UK YouTube channel.

IOSH Managing Safely can be run in a virtual classroom as an in-company programme for managers in your organisation, or as a public course from £638 per delegate.

More information, including dates for virtual classroom courses, is available here.