The phrase “blended learning” was in vogue for a spell as Scottish education authorities mulled a combination of home study and part-time attendance at school amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and now the idea has taken off in the renewables industry.
Global safety training provider RelyOn Nutec, of Aberdeen, has claimed a first in the UK by launching a blended learning option for the wind energy sector.
Teaching mandatory safety skills, the blended learning courses and modules meet Global Wind Organisation standards and have also been certified by Bureau Veritas for delivery across RelyOn Nutec sites in Europe.
Footfall into each training centre on any given day is reduced, lowering the risk of spreading Covid-19.
Iain Taylor, UK commercial director, RelyOn Nutec, said: “Our team were already some way through the production of this course prior to the onset of coronavirus and this has allowed us to be in the right place, at the right time to launch this new training solution.
“We aim to lead our industry towards innovative safety solutions which will drive our clients towards greater efficiencies, and lead to cost and resource savings.
“Blended learning also allows our delegates to learn at a pace that suits them, enabling them to focus on gaps in their own knowledge, and ensuring that all delegates are at a similar theoretical level when the practical training begins.”
He added: “The current pandemic has shifted focus towards virtual methods of training and will, ultimately, speed up the overall transition that we anticipate seeing across industry to blended learning alternatives for some courses.
“While online learning can never fully replace hands-on learning, we look forward to introducing new training options to our clients in due course which allow them to combine the very best practical training experience with digital learning expertise.”
The modules are based on a “flipped classroom” approach, with delegates receiving access to their selected e-learning modules prior to attendance of the associated onsite practical training. The self-paced e-learning covers the theoretical, knowledge and understanding components of the course, which would traditionally be delivered via instructor-led presentations in the classroom.
RelyOn Nutec has more than 33 training centres globally, including two in the UK in Aberdeen and on Teesside, which have 39 and 17 employees respectively.