According to Tommy Cooper, FRS Training Ltd’s regional manager (south-east ), “FRS is one of the few companies in Ireland that can deliver all the CSCS Skills’ courses (which are the new FAS criteria ) for training in the construction industry, so while the sector may be experiencing something of a downturn, we have never been busier. Training is something that really isn’t neglected in the business, largely because organisations can’t afford to either overlook it or exclude it.”
FRS (Farm Relief Service ) is a company that has been in operation for 22 years and Tommy manages its dedicated training wing. Tommy’s career background includes managerial roles in both industry and construction so he is keenly aware of the challenges and training needs of his customers. Tommy’s role includes both a sales element and a co-ordination function and according to him, typical clients for FRS Training include “hauliers and transport companies, warehousing, construction, and manufacturing in its broadest sense. Popular courses span everything from forklift training to manual handling and from occupational first aid at FETAC level 5, to health and safety training for managers and courses on office and workplace safety.”
FRS offers the broadest range of course available in the south-east and Tommy believes that this is in part, a reason for their success “ obviously you have to keep looking for new business but FRS Training is consistently asked back to companies where we have delivered training and we also receive valuable, word-of-mouth referrals which is the best kind of business you can hope to get.” FRS self-monitor their training by canvassing their own custmers while they also receive periodic assessment from FAS, as a number of courses they deiver are fully accredited with them.
Two training centres are used by FRS in the south-east, namely Cillin Hill in Kilkenny and another base located in Enniscorthy in county Wexford. However a large proportion of courses are delivered in-house with clients. FRS will tailor content as far as possible to the needs of their clients “ we are responsive to the needs of our customers and will customise content. Our objective is always to deliver a quality programme that takes full account of all relevant legislation and regulation and as long as we cover these elements, we will focus on particular areas of concern which may be issues to do with noise or chemicals etc.”
FRS has a network of 27 offices throughout Ireland with experienced teams covering management and administration. Its pricing is based on value for money and group discounts are available. Tommy is currently seeing healthy growth in the consultancy services his unit provides: “the consultancy section of FRS Training is a particular growth area at present, as the team provides support in areas such as risk assessment and can create safety statements and written safe operating procedures for machinery, equipment and processes.
“it would seem that managers and business owners can see the value of spending money on training and support because the demand for our services has never been greater - training is an element of business that has to be considered - even when times are tough.”
