Education & Training
Awake specialises in developing bespoke training programmes - ranging from lunchtime ‘toolbox talks’ through to multiple-day seminars accompanied by film and problem-based learning activities.
Our interactive training is based on a scientific understanding of tiredness, including the effects of drugs and alcohol. The emphasis is on engaging the audience, and we provide them with practical advice that can be implemented in their everyday lives.
We deliver training to managers, drivers, shiftworkers, and city professionals, tailoring our approach and delivery to suit the needs of our clients. No matter how large or small the organisation, we can develop an appropriate solution.
We offer highly developed educational and training specialisations in two key areas:
1) Fatigue Management Training
Our fatigue management training is designed to reduce accidents at work due to tiredness. The training has been adopted by both BP and Shell as the preferred training for all staff who drive as part of their job and is now being rolled out globally by both companies. In December 2003 Awake was awarded a Prince Michael of Kent International Road Safety Award in recognition of the Awake Driver Tiredness training programme.
Our training is successful because it is also based on the scientific excellence of the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, and is delivered in an accessible, entertaining, non-scientific way, by experts who understand their subject and how to communicate effectively at all levels.
Aims of the training:
Our training incorporates a variety of interactive elements (e.g. investigating real-world examples) as well as using powerful video footage to bring home to drivers the consequences of driving whilst tired. Our videos include police footage of drivers falling asleep, interviews with the families of those who have been killed by tired drivers, and even interviews with truck drivers in prison for having caused road accidents because they fell asleep at the wheel. A key feature of our training and awareness seminars are the problem-based learning techniques that involve the audience rather than relying on them to absorb information passively.
Many drivers also feel they know how to deal with driver tiredness and have developed their own ‘strategies’. These can be very dangerous, and so our training is designed to show why these do not work.
The training we provide therefore has 4 objectives:
a) Raise awareness of the extent of the driver tiredness problem;
b) Dispel the myths that drivers have about what they can do to prevent themselves falling asleep at the wheel;
c) Provide effective countermeasures;
d) Raise awareness of employees’ and drivers’ personal responsibilities.
2) Courses
To cater for the needs of different groups we have developed a range of seminars. The following are some examples of the training we provide.
Seminar 1: Driver Tiredness Awareness for Professional Drivers
Typical duration: 60-90 minutes
For professional drivers we have developed a powerful, hard-hitting seminar that raises awareness of the dangers of driver tiredness and the importance of getting good sleep. These can be delivered by one of our former police officers, all of whom have been trained by Awake and who have direct experience of the effects of driver tiredness. This unique aspect of our work gives the training added credibility, particularly as most of our police officers are class II drivers themselves.
Seminar 2: Fatigue Awareness for Managers
Typical duration: 90-120 minutes
For managers who have responsibility for other staff who drive, as well as busy executives who travel extensively as part of their work, we have developed a more comprehensive training programme that highlights company and management responsibilities. This seminar can be adapted to focus on particular issues (e.g. coping with the effects of jet lag), but again features the core elements of hard-hitting video footage and active participation to raise awareness. In addition to raising awareness of the dangers of driving while tired this seminar also highlights the effects of tiredness on general performance in the workplace.
Seminar 3: Shift worker Fatigue Awareness
Typical duration: 60-90 minutes
Working around the clock is not a natural activity, and many shift workers are never taught how to adjust their lifestyle to reduce the effects of working night and/or rotating shifts. Consequently, performance at work suffers, as do health, safety and quality of life outside work – relationships with other family members deteriorate, and negative family attitudes can have a major impact on staff morale and job satisfaction.
Our fatigue management training is designed to help shift workers improve safety, maintain alertness over prolonged periods and to successfully cope with the additional pressures that shift work places upon their work and home life. Most importantly, our training is designed to reduce accident risk.
Seminar 4: Train-the-trainer workshops
Typical duration: 2 days at client’s site.
For large organisations employing many drivers and who have a dedicated team of in-house trainers, the cost effective solution is for Awake to train the trainers. Awake has trained trainers from over 30 countries and run train-the-trainer workshops in the UK, Ireland, Europe, Africa and the Far East. To date our training has been translated into 16 languages.
Objectives:
Teach trainers to deliver presentations covering:
• The effects of tiredness on drivers, their families and managers;
• Raise awareness of the effects of tiredness and the importance of sleep;
• Dispel myths that many drivers have about what works;
• Provide effective short term and long term solutions to the problem
Target audience:
• Driver Trainers;
• HSSE Managers;
• Training managers;
• Schedulers;
• Contract Managers;
• Transport managers.
Content:
• Interactive with plenty of group activities;
• Video footage of drivers falling asleep at the wheel;
• Police footage of sleep-related accidents;
• Interviews with families of victims and with imprisoned drivers;
• Accident investigation to identify accidents caused by fatigue.
All attendees receive a trainers’ pack including booklet, posters, drivers’ guide and a CD containing the presentations, films and questionnaires to raise awareness. Upon completion of the training all delegates complete a written competency assessment, successful completion of which results in Awake accreditation and inclusion on our database of registered fatigue trainers.
We also regularly attend Company ‘family days’ or participate in health and wellbeing campaigns, and have a stand that we can set up at a particular location for the course of an event. In addition, Awake has developed a comprehensive range of high-quality materials designed to raise awareness of tiredness and the importance of good sleep.
