What is IATP Accreditation and What Does It Mean?

Liz Burton-Hughes

September 7, 2020

5 min read

There are thousands of training courses online to choose from, so it can be difficult to know which you should go for. The good news is that various accreditation bodies can act as a trust signal for you and indicate which training content has been rigorously reviewed by experts.

Looking out for courses that have received accreditation will help you to recognise whether they meet industry standards and are right for you and/or your staff. One example is the IATP: Independent Asbestos Training Providers.

Throughout this article, we’ll describe who IATP are and how they provide accreditation. We’ll explain how we as a training provider have received IATP accreditation, which demonstrates that our course covers all the necessary guidance and is engaging, relevant, and clear to our learners.

Who is IATP?

IATP stands for Independent Asbestos Training Providers. They are a nationally recognised, not-for-profit organisation that works together with the HSE to audit and approve/accredit UK asbestos training. They also support asbestos-related charities, to help continue raising awareness and support those affected by asbestos.

To receive an accreditation from IATP, training providers must submit documentary evidence confirming their competence and compliance with the necessary regulations. This may also include independent external audits where necessary.

The type of asbestos training they cover includes Asbestos Awareness (category A), Non-Licensed Asbestos (category B), and Licensed Asbestos Work (category C).

IATP lists all its members on their website, signalling that those training companies have been audited and approved/accredited. Those seeking an asbestos course can use this page to find a suitable training provider, as well as check that a training provider who says they have IATP approval or accreditation are indeed listed.

What is an IATP Accreditation?

Receiving an IATP approval or accreditation proves that they have audited the training content and that it meets the necessary industry standards. This is especially important for showing that a course meets the level of asbestos training it says it does.

The IATP auditors are subject matter experts, who can assess whether the training content provides learners with accessible, informative content that helps them to comply with asbestos regulations and best practice.

Having this accreditation shows prospective learners that the training covers all the necessary information the learners need to safely and legally perform their asbestos-related work. It shows that experts will readily recommend the course as effective in delivering what it sets out to do, and that learners will receive the knowledge and confidence they need for their role.

Why Is It Important For Our Course To Be Approved By IATP?

At High Speed Training, we’re committed to providing content that helps people to be effective, engaged, and safe in their chosen careers. Asbestos is a particularly dangerous material to work around, so it’s incredibly important to us that our learners know exactly what the risks are and how to avoid them.

This is why we worked closely with industry specialists and requested an audit from IATP for our asbestos course. We wanted to make the content as clear, accurate, and practical as possible for those who take the training. Gaining our IATP accreditation reassures anyone interested in our asbestos course that it’s in line with the guidance set out by the regulations, the HSE, and industry best practice.

Additionally, when learners receive their asbestos awareness certificate on completion of our course, it will have the IATP logo displayed on it. This will give their certification an additional seal of quality, to prove that they have received training that meets industry standards.

What High Speed Training Course is IATP Audited and Accredited?

Our Online Asbestos Awareness (Category A) training course is IATP accredited.

The course is designed to provide an awareness level of training to anyone who works with, or near, asbestos at work. This includes construction and demolition workers, plumbers, painters and decorators, roofers, carpenters, ventilation and heating engineers, and general maintenance workers to name a few.

It’s also suitable for those in charge of carrying out risk assessments, as they need to be aware of where asbestos may be in the building and how to manage it safely. Employers and responsible persons who have been tasked to carry out the risk assessment would therefore benefit from this training.

If you’re in search of category A asbestos training, we hope that our IATP-accredited course will be the one you choose. It will give you the knowledge you need to work safely and confidently, as well as know what to do if you discover asbestos.

If you’d like further information about IATP and how they audit courses, you can visit their website.