Time management

I was going to write about poor planning and time management in relation to apprenticeships, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised that the topic would apply to many situations, in both work and general life, and is also something I am guilty of myself. I then thought that individuals reading this may think that I am picking on them, which is not the case. However, people can be sensitive, so I am still considering as to whether the following is appropriate.

Some of those fortunate people who are participating in the Level 6 apprenticeship in England or the University of Northampton NDT degree outside of the apprenticeship and have not been in education for a period of time do seem to have issues with time management. The problems could be the day-to-day demands on time with work and home life and the unfamiliarity of how the course runs, which does require a significant commitment. When the course module has been released, that is when you need to start working on it; it is important not to procrastinate for a few weeks or assume that you will know the course content from historic learning, as the academic approach is different to the vocational learning route. The course tutors at the university are also busy with other tasks so may not be able to respond as quickly as you would want, and if it is by a written reply it may not address all the issues or may raise additional problems. It may be possible to arrange a call to enable a greater understanding of the learning requirements for the module, but if you have left this to the last minute you may be struggling.

In addition, do not try to skip through the module; it may be refresher learning for you, but you do need to understand university speak to be able to answer the questions. It is necessary to understand how academics communicate, which can be significantly different to the communications used in both the workplace and at home. If you do not understand the language, ask and learn. Another trap is asking friends to help who have not attempted the course; why would they know more than you? There are exceptions to this, but again their knowledge and understanding may not follow the syllabus. What I am trying to say is manage your time, ask the university tutors for assistance and repeat your question if you still do not understand the topic. There will be instances when you may feel that the demands on your time are too great, but please persevere: when you complete and gain a degree, which lasts a lifetime, it  feels great!

Recently, ISO sent out a questionnaire relating to the timeframe for the introduction of all the aspects of ISO 9712:2021 or BS EN ISO 9712:2022, and while some organisations are looking at a certification cycle of five years, others are implementing it immediately. PCN is working through the many documents and working with the trainers to introduce the extended training days in an acceptable manner. There is another group looking at producing a guide to what the revision to ISO 9712 means, as it appears that there is some confusion as to what the standard actually means and how it should  be implemented.

BINDT is also involved with the Pressure Equipment Directive and the UKCA PE requirements and is receiving enquiries around this from organisations, mainly in Europe, who prior to Brexit were covered under the CE requirements for goods coming into the UK.The core requirements have not significantly changed, but the legal aspects post-Brexit have.

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