IPAF training market leader to launch PAL+ Advanced Operator course

Europe’s largest provider of working at height training, Nationwide Platforms, has outlined its plans to bring the brand new IPAF Powered Access Licence (PAL) + training to delegates across the UK.

Last year Nationwide Platforms delivered training courses to more than 16,000 delegates, which includes over 15% of all International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) PAL cards in the UK.

PAL+ is an optional, additional one day of category-specific training and complements the PAL operator course by providing further training for Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) operators working in challenging environments.

PAL+ focuses on practical training and includes a short, compact theory session. It is intended to be more advanced, challenging and extensive than the PAL operator course, which meets all requirements for basic operator training.

The course has a greater emphasis on practical training and aims to provide powered access users with advanced training and experience of working at height in challenging environments. Participants are eligible to complete the optional course once they have completed the standard PAL course which meets all requirements for basic operator training.

Delegates who complete the course successfully receive new PAL cards denoting the additional qualification for the category of Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWP) they have trained for. Like the standard PAL card, the PAL+ is valid for five years.

IPAF has created the PAL+ course in conjunction with Nationwide Platforms, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), major UK contractors, powered access manufacturers and representatives from other powered access businesses. The course was designed to give operators advanced training in the use of MEWPs in challenging environments.

To help make this happen, the practical element of the course requires operators to complete tasks that require them to safely use the MEWP on challenging terrain and work at height in confined space.

Nationwide Platforms’ Executive Director – Operations, Peter Douglas, who is also on the IPAF council, said: “We’ve been working with IPAF and our industry partners to create a course that gives MEWP users the opportunity to gain an advanced level of training. The PAL+ course has been designed exactly with this in mind and is the result of input from the access industry, safety groups and major construction businesses.”

Richard Miller, Executive Director- Sales and Marketing said: “With 32 training centres located across the UK we’re very well equipped to offer this course to delegates nationwide, at a time and place to suit their specific needs. Having delivered more than 14,500 IPAF courses last year, we’re proud to employ the country’s largest number of working at height training instructors, helping pass on the expertise that keeps people safe when using powered access.”

SPECIAL OFFER: Save 10% on IPAF PAL+ courses this August!