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We recognise that in order to successfully support and further the interests of the woodworking and joinery manufacturing industry we must deliver effective educational resources – understanding that for our industry, ongoing education is a key ingredient in facilitating the development of highly competent and skilled workforces. During the last year we have seen the way in which the world has had to adjust to how we can deliver training in a resilient and sustainable way, and have explored how the BWF can adapt to meet the training needs of our industry.

Over the last few months, the BWF team have been working to deliver on this concept, redefining the way in which we previously delivered our educational programmes, by bringing the benefits of the physical classroom to the virtual learning environment, and as a result, I am delighted to announce the launch of our new e-learning platform with our first course: ‘An Introduction to Fire Doors’.

Interactive approach

This course offers those working in the fire door arena the opportunity to strengthen their expertise and keep up-to-date with practice standards, providing learners with a full insight into fire doors, their components, how they save lives, and with a comprehensive understanding of the regulations that are in place here in the UK. Learners will gain the valuable knowledge, understanding and demonstrable proficiency they require for their own development in the industry. The new platform uses an interactive approach to education, which is particularly valuable when it comes to learning in our industry. Educating learners about new regulations, health and safety or practical techniques can be harder to digest when it is only done through the written word and diagrams. A visual, interactive tool means that learners can see how something works, which aids the understanding and the overall learner outcomes. Helping individuals to learn new subject areas, which can add to their skill sets or refresh their existing knowledge, is fundamental to the BWF and by adapting the way we offer training opportunities, we hope to see an increase in CPD activities across the industry. We will be with our learners every step of the way to ensure they achieve results and gain considerable value from the courses they take.

Success stories

The ‘Introduction to Fire Doors’ course launches free of charge for BWF Members and at an introductory fee of £35 to non-members – registration is quick and easy. This is an exciting time for us, and I am looking forward to hearing some great success stories from our e-learners.

To find out more and register onto a course, visit www.bwf.org.uk.