Telford & Wrekin Council manages five RLSS UK Approved Training Centres (ATCs) and one Approved Training Centre Provider (ATP) within their council area in Shropshire and, for many years, has offered a comprehensive training offering, including the RLSS UK National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) and RLSS UK First Aid qualifications within these facilities for their staff. However, they have developed a business model allowing their staff's skills and training expertise at those facilities to benefit the wider general public in their community.

In 2015, Telford & Wrekin Council identified an opportunity to use their staff to deliver different training courses rather than sending staff to an external provider, so they created Telford & Wrekin Training Services, with Steve Carter recruited to provide the training.

Steve started working as a casual lifeguard at one of their leisure facilities in 1997 and is now the Training Specialist at Telford & Wrekin Council and an RLSS UK National Trainer Assessor (NTA). Steve now delivers First Aid and pool qualifications for Telford & Wrekin Training Services.

Today, Telford & Wrekin Training Services offer a range of training courses, including RLSS UK First Aid, Food Safety, Manual Handling, Swimming Pool Management and Occupational Water Safety. March 2025 saw Telford & Wrekin Training Services celebrate ten years of delivering RLSS UK First Aid courses, and, in the last 12 months, over 650 candidates have achieved their First Aid qualifications with them and has seen them deliver to their 4,000th candidate since the service started, including internal Telford & Wrekin Council employees, schools, local businesses, and members of the public. 

Steve Carter, Training Specialist, said: "We have delivered RLSS UK First Aid qualifications at Telford & Wrekin Training Services since I started training delivery in 2015. RLSS UK is strongly recognised within the industry, and using them as the Awarding Organisation (AO) for our lifeguard and First Aid qualifications has been hugely beneficial. The courses are not only managed and processed in the same way, simplifying processes, but we have always received good trainer support from the RLSS UK team. The courses are regulated, and certificates are available on the same day as course completion. We not only saved the council money over the years, which has become increasingly important, but also by offering the training to external customers, we have generated income too."

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Find out more about RLSS UK First Aid qualifications

Find out more about the courses on offer from Telford & Wrekin Training Services