Safety & Access Ltd is to open a brand-new scaffolder training centre in the Rosayl region of Oman.
The CISRS Overseas Scaffolder Training Scheme (OSTS) centre will open for business early in 2018. The venture will be the 2nd Partnership for UK Provider Safety and Access Ltd within the region and will complement their other facility located in Nizwa.
The new centre will be operated in collaboration with local company Knowledge Grid LLC who already offer a wide range of both Health and Safety and practical training and qualifications including Nebosh, IOSH, Lifting and Hoists.
Mark Luddington, Access and Lifting Manager of Knowledge Grid in Oman stated:
“Knowledge Grid are dedicated to reducing injuries, accidents and environmental impact and also ensuring compliance with local and international regulations. We look to achieve this by providing high-quality training. Our partnership with Safety and Access allowing us to deliver CISRS OSTS will help us to achive these aims within the scaffolding sector.”
There is a growing demand for recognised accredited training within the region. Rick Statham Joint Managing Director for Safety & Access commented:
“We are delighted to be able to offer training from this second facility. The existing Centre has been open for almost 12 months and is proving a great success. The ability to offer training close to Muscat is key to meeting the overall demand. There has been a fantastic commitment from the Oman government to provide funding for Oman nationals to achieve recognised qualifications and the new Centre will certainly help to facilitate that.”
The CISRS pre-accreditation audit of the facilities was undertaken by Dave Mosley from CISRS earlier this month and he was impressed with the commitment that the local partner Knowledge grid had shown in sourcing a new venue away from their main centre and transforming it from an empty warehouse style unit into a CISRS OSTS training centre. He said:
“The centre is almost ready to go with only a few minor actions required, once these have been completed, Safety and Access/Knowledge Gird will have an excellent facility. A new toilet and shower block and also a new dining area are currently being installed. If you see the images of what the building looked like when the training providers first acquired it compared to what it looks like now you realise the time, effort and commitment that has gone into achieving CISRS accreditation.”
During the visit CISRS and Safety and Access took the opportunity to meet with some of the local stakeholders such as Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and the local accreditation body. Presentations were delivered to highlight the OSTS training content and the growing success of the international scheme overall. PDO have agreed to include a requirement for CISRS OSTS qualification for their future projects within the region.