A look back at 2020 (or Year of Rat)

Nothing prepared me for the pace of change and the weight of responsibility I have felt over the last year. 

I’m pleased that CAS continued to grow in spite of the impact of Covid-19 on our clients and our team, whose lives have been turned upside down by the pandemic. For me it has been a crash course in crisis management – I learned to focus on principles not targets, on people not just numbers, to adapt not just stick to plans, to be open with clients because we are working to the same goals.

Our continued growth proves the value of our proposition – demonstrating and improving the quality of safety and business critical training. In 2020 we witnessed a major switch to online delivery which has helped our growth – many organisations are doing this at scale for the first time and this presents an array of quality assurance challenges which they must overcome for elearning to retain its integrity and value, which is where we come in. Classroom training has had a stop-start year and faces the prospect of further disruption in 2021 so, for the same reasons, keeping delivery and service standards high is essential - the independent monitoring and inspection we provide is perfect for this. Workplace training has held up well because jobs and productivity are at stake - our services help make sure that corners are not cut in the preparation of people for safety critical activities in road transport, construction, quarrying and rail.

We have been working closely with our clients to reduce the risk of virus transmission. Our teams of inspectors and monitors have adapted well to the addition of Covid-19 related criteria to their protocols and the data we are collecting helps clients assure management that known risks are under control. Looking ahead, we have a major role to play in helping clients recover from the pandemic. Our quality assurance services improve the quality of training delivery and the learning experience. Both will be crucial to economic recovery, and are vital to ensuring that people don’t just gain the licenses or certificates they need for their work or to get a new job but also benefit from a positive learning experience.

I really look forward to a time when we can meet our clients and colleagues in UK and Ireland face-to-face and to the fun and creativity this will unleash. Until then, we must keep our discipline, stay online, deliver great service and support each other.

Stay safe, look out for others, as Capt. Tom said so memorably, ‘tomorrow will be a good day.’