Training of process operators is becoming increasingly important in the chemical industry. The City & Guilds (C&G) Institute based in London is an internationally recognised body that awards approved qualifications. Its Process Plant Operations (PPO) Certificate can be gained via a part-time open learning course and therefore is ideally suited for operators who frequently work a rotating shift system and cannot easily attend colleges.

Kappa Tau Consulting is able to offer this course with tutorial support for process operators working in the chemical process industry. We use comprehensive training manuals developed over several years by Cleveland Open Learning Unit and can also supply interactive Multi-Media materials on CD-ROMS to supplement the manuals and the tutorial services.

The course leads to the award of a City & Guilds Certificate in Plant Process Operations. The complete C&G course is in three parts and we can initially offer the first two parts. The first part can be completed in one year although on average 15 to 18 months is usual. The course consists of a study programme using a number of self-contained modules. There is an examination for each module that is usually taken on-site if appropriate supervision is provided and a certificate is awarded for each one. The examinations can be taken at anytime on demand thus removing the end of year examination panic common with many courses. In the UK the C&G PPO course is directly related to the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) and can be used as evidence of competence of operators hoping to gain an NVQ award.

The tutorial support can be by visits, or via video conferencing links. It is also possible to offer true distance support via telephone, letter or email. This latter method is less costly but is only effective for well motivated operators and where there is good on-site support.