Bank holidays will be changed this year to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee:<ul><li>The late May bank holiday will be moved to Thursday 2nd June 2022</li><li>Friday 3rd June 2022 will be an additional bank holiday for this year only</li></ul>How will this affect employers?How employers will have to deal with this and if this needs to be given as an additional day or not will depend on the contract of employment.Consideration also needs to be given to part time workers, their pro-rata allocation and if these days fall on a non-working day.Source: Manuela Grossmann

Change to bank holidays and how will this affect employers?

Jubilee celebrations

We are pleased to announce the strategic acquisition of Seal Safety and Training, a Devon-based specialist in health, safety and electrical training and consultancy.Since being established in 1998, SSG Training and Consultancy have built a strong reputation for inspiring people and businesses to work safely and sustainably. This acquisition underscores our commitment to growth while remaining dedicated to our core values and exceptional standards of service.The integration of Seal Safety and Training significantly enhances our service offerings, deepens our specialist expertise, and expands our presence into new market segments. By combining the strengths and resources of both organisations, we’re positioned ideally for accelerated growth whilst reinforcing our leadership in the health and safety sector.Mark Salmon, Managing Director of SSG, commented: "This acquisition marks a pivotal moment for SSG, enabling us to broaden our service portfolio and provide even greater choice and innovative solutions to our clients. We’re enthusiastic about the opportunities ahead - not only for our team but most importantly for the clients who will benefit from this enhanced capability."Moving forward, we will focus on expanding our comprehensive range of in-person and online training programmes, developing new sector-specific courses, and enhancing our consultancy offerings to meet the evolving needs of the industry. Clients from both SSG and Seal Safety and Training can expect seamless continuity of service, enriched expertise and improved support as they transition into this exciting next chapter.For more information about our extensive range of services and how we can support your organisation, please visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="http://www.ssg.co.uk">www.ssg.co.uk</a> or contact them directly at 01752 201616.

We are pleased to announce the strategic acquisition of Seal Safety and Training.

SSG Training and Consultancy announces acquisition of Seal Safety and Training

As of March 2025, PASMA has moved from issuing physical cards to a fully digital ID card for all their training courses.This shift is part of PASMA’s commitment to improving efficiency, accessibility and&nbsp;environmental sustainability across the industry.<h2 id="466a109b-c0f3-4dbd-8f25-8322e9049057" data-toc-id="466a109b-c0f3-4dbd-8f25-8322e9049057">What’s changed?</h2>Previously, those who successfully completed a PASMA course would receive a plastic ID card by post. Now, all PASMA cards are issued digitally, accessible via the TowerSure app or through the PASMA website.<h3 id="0aa8fb6c-b66f-4245-a010-4c4bb602e3af" data-toc-id="0aa8fb6c-b66f-4245-a010-4c4bb602e3af">Digital cards offer many benefits:</h3><ul><li>Available instantly - no need to wait for the post</li><li>Easy to access on smartphones or tablets</li><li>Secure and simple to present or verify on site</li><li>Better for the environment</li></ul><h2 id="e643013d-9cec-495e-97e2-7affece505b9" data-toc-id="e643013d-9cec-495e-97e2-7affece505b9">What you need to do</h2><h3 id="5864ea8c-bad8-4428-987e-676840c51be7" data-toc-id="5864ea8c-bad8-4428-987e-676840c51be7">If you have completed a PASMA course recently:</h3>Once your course is booked, we’ll send you joining instructions explaining how to access your digital card through the TowerSure app.<h3 id="5c0800f7-8ba1-4599-9db2-2b831c57ba01" data-toc-id="5c0800f7-8ba1-4599-9db2-2b831c57ba01">This update applies to all our PASMA training courses, including:</h3><ul><li>Towers for Users</li><li>Low-Level Access</li><li>Towers for Managers</li></ul><h3 id="0e34211f-7986-4564-ae6c-7325d6844dc2" data-toc-id="0e34211f-7986-4564-ae6c-7325d6844dc2">Book your PASMA course with us</h3>Looking to gain or renew your PASMA certification? We offer accredited training courses, led by our expert trainers, helping you work safely and confidently at height. Your PASMA card is now issued digitally as standard via the TowerSure app. If you require a physical card, please note that an additional fee will apply.Book your PASMA course today ? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://www.ssg.co.uk/courses?search=pasma">https://www.ssg.co.uk/courses?search=pasma</a>

As of March 2025, PASMA has moved from issuing physical cards to a fully digital ID card for all their training courses.

PASMA moves to digital cards 

At SSG we want to make each of our courses as accessible as possible, and ensure we set the correct expectations for delegates looking to undertake a new course.We sat down with our Head of Services Delivery Adam Worth to discuss what NEBOSH courses are really like, from his perspective as a trainer.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3 id="3adbf955-3d04-459d-b6d2-7c79fa56ef4a" data-toc-id="3adbf955-3d04-459d-b6d2-7c79fa56ef4a">How could a NEBOSH course benefit your career?&nbsp;</h3>NEBOSH is an internationally recognised organisation. It's well established, being founded in 1979 and providing a high standard of health and safety training and accreditation since then.That means people associate NEBOSH qualifications with these high standards; the qualifications are widely recognised and seen as a strong foundation for those in or moving into safety focused careers. Higher level qualifications such as the diploma can be essential to those looking to progress a health and safety focused career. Many employers will identify NEBOSH courses as a mark of continuous professional development.<h3 id="e5d735bc-c873-405f-a5f5-f75e741319d5" data-toc-id="e5d735bc-c873-405f-a5f5-f75e741319d5">In your experience, what's one thing that surprises people once they start a course?&nbsp;</h3>People are often shocked to realise health and safety isn't just about putting up signs and wearing a high vis jacket: it involves elements of law, culture, psychology and other human factors too. I find a lot of people's experiences of health and safety have been general inductions with a focus on rules, which is where people might switch off.What’s great about NEBOSH is it allows people to get a handle on health and safety culture. It's about people, systems, and processes - and continually reviewing these factors in a way that's good for your business.<h3 id="63c12b58-0a88-498e-9e0b-0c7abd364d0e" data-toc-id="63c12b58-0a88-498e-9e0b-0c7abd364d0e">What does NEBOSH mean for businesses and employers?&nbsp;</h3>The courses themselves offer a good grounding in applying occupational health and safety in a business sense. The diploma teaches you to understand business as well as safety, and how a strong health and safety culture mirrors strong business leadership and management.This may sound counterintuitive, but when people talk about what is the most important thing in their business, lots of people are inclined to say health and safety. It is fantastic when people say that, because that is key, but I think if people were completely objective they’d probably say the most important thing is running a good, effective business that makes profit and benefits the people around it. Or for a non-profit, they might say it’s about making sure you raise more funds than you spend.I think people fail to recognise health and safety is what helps businesses to achieve these things. An effective health and safety culture and an effective business model go hand in hand. NEBOSH courses are designed to enable businesses to be run efficiently and to achieve their goals, safely, with minimised disruption and with a clear structure.<h3 id="9499e982-3b3b-4e9a-bb00-b120ec29a6e4" data-toc-id="9499e982-3b3b-4e9a-bb00-b120ec29a6e4">How flexible is NEBOSH study for someone who works full time or who has other commitments?&nbsp;</h3>We try to be as flexible as possible. I would say our delivery methods certainly help - with hybrid delivery, delegates can attend the course both via the classroom or remotely. We're also growing our NEBOSH e-learning offerings, which will open barriers to entry as people can very much learn at their own pace.People obviously need to be able to dedicate enough time in their lives to enter and complete the courses. It can be tough, but the assessments do provide some flexibility. Open book exams for the certificate level courses are completed in a window between 24 and 48 hours for example. For the diploma course, this is two weeks for units DN2 and DN3 and four weeks for DN1, so there is a sense of flexibility there.<h3 id="cb8da38d-4243-4340-bd2a-e1da7acca085" data-toc-id="cb8da38d-4243-4340-bd2a-e1da7acca085">How do we support our delegates throughout their NEBOSH qualification? How are people encouraged to seek advice and support?&nbsp;</h3>We make sure we've got tutor contact and tutor support so that students feel they've got the means to ask for help. Particularly at diploma level, we do regular check-ins individually with delegates to see how they're doing, and tailor support accordingly. We also try and use formative assessment techniques to judge how delegates are doing and identify if we need to step in and provide support.We actively encourage this environment where people can admit if they need support, because we know how hard it can be to stand up and say you need help.<h3 id="23d682fd-45c6-4c99-98ed-34e8020e87ef" data-toc-id="23d682fd-45c6-4c99-98ed-34e8020e87ef">Why should people undertake NEBOSH courses?</h3>NEBOSH opens so many doors for individuals and for the businesses they work with, all for good reason. The courses are widely respected because they do require that commitment and effort. We don't want people entering it naively, because it is a commitment and the courses can be a challenge. That's why we do what we can to provide support – screening our diploma applicants for example and having these conversations before the person has even gotten into the classroom. We work hard to ensure our students are supported, and we can overcome many of these challenges.Our goal is to make sure people can get the qualifications they need to open doors for themselves and for their organisations, and that they feel supported in doing so.

At SSG we want to make each of our courses as accessible as possible, and ensure we set the correct expectations for delegates looking to undertake a new course. We sat down with our Head of Services Delivery Adam Worth to discuss what NEBOSH courses are really like, from his perspective as a traine