Handbook 1

APTCO Limited Suite 1, Janus House, 46 St. Andrews Street, Cambridge, CB2 3AH

Student Handbook This handbook belongs to

[email protected] www.learndirect.co.uk

APTCO Limited

Student handbook

Table of contents Cover sheet

1

Training Times

2

Useful information

3

Health and Safety tips

4

Learner Charter

5

Equality & diversity Policy

6

Health & Safety policy

7

Disciplinary procedure

8

Complaints Procedure

9

Learner User code

10/11

Quality Assurance statement

12

Handbook receipt

13

Data Protection

14

Disability discrimination policy

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Training Times

Monday to Thursday

9.00 am

-

7.30 pm

Friday

9.00 pm

-

5.00 pm

Bank Holidays & Weekends

Closed

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APTCO Limited

Health and safety tips Adjust your chair and screen to find the most comfortable position for your work. As a broad guide, your arms should be approximately horizontal and your eyes at the same height as the top of the screen casing Arrange your screen so that bright lights are not reflected in the screen. Adjust blinds to prevent unwanted light. You shouldn’t be directly facing windows or bright lights Make sure the characters on your screen are sharply focused and can be read easily. They shouldn’t flicker or move. Use the brightness control on the screen to suit the lighting conditions in the room

Posture • • •

Alter your position from time to time Keep your wrists straight and ensure that they are not resting on anything whilst you are keying in Use a light touch when keying in, do not pound on the keys

This figure shows correct posture at the computer. The chair and keyboard are positioned so that the thighs and forearms are level

TAKE A BREAK! Every 3 minutes take a 3 second break; every 20 minutes get up and stretch your limbs Collecting work from the printer, proofreading your work, or even gazing out of the window for a few moments will all help to avoid eye strain Adopting the guidelines shown above may eliminate the tisk of RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury)

Stop stress building up The following exercises can be done whilst sitting at the computer and will help to relieve any stress that might be building from a long session. Start by sitting up straight, with arms hanging down and hands relaxed. Legs should be slightly apart, with both feet on the floor. Keep chin tucked in: • • •

Shrug shoulders strongly up towards the ears , hold and release – do this 4 times Squeeze shoulder blades together, hold then release – do this 4 times Rotate shoulders slowly, 4 times forwards, 4 times backwards, then release

Keeping shoulders straight: • • • • •

Tilt head slowly from side to side 4 times Nod head slowly up and down 4 times Look over right/left shoulder 4 times each side Holding arms out straight in front, make fists and flex wrists up and down, then round and round several times, then relax Flex your fingers, then shake hands vigorously and rub them together

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Useful Information To book or cancel a session call 01223 319419. As the centre is usually very busy it is important to book all sessions well in advance to avoid disappointment. Please give 24 hours notice of any cancellations. Help yourself to coffee, tea or cold drinks - there is no charge. We don’t mind you taking drinks to your work-station - but please be careful to keep them away from the keyboards, they don’t work at their best when full of coffee!. If you are staying all day there are various cafés and sandwich bars close by. Car parking facilities are close by at the Queen Ann MultiStorey or Lion Yard. If the fire alarm sounds, or if a fire is discovered, evacuate the building by the nearest exit and assemble outside Mandela House on Regent Street - A notice is displayed in the main training room. Smoking is not permitted in any part of the building. At least one member of staff has current certificates in First Aid in the Workplace. Out of courtesy to your colleagues, please ensure that mobile phones are switched off or on silent. (In an emergency you may be contacted via our switchboard.) A first aid box is available if required. Please report any accidents or mishaps to a member of staff. Members of staff are here to help you: so please don’t struggle - we feel happier if you ask questions - we worry if you don’t. 4

APTCO Limited

Learner charter This charter sets out what you can expect from your learning centre. It also says what the centre and other learners can expect from you. What you should expect from your learning centre: • A smile to greet you • Unbiased information and advice when you start to help you choose the learning path best for you • Help with your individual learning plan to set out your learning goals • Personal support in the centre to help you progress to your learning aims • To be shown how to access your course as part of your induction • Contact by email and bulletin boards if you wish • Encouragement to you to progress, achieve and overcome any disadvantages or discrimination • A safe and properly equipped environment that meets or exceeds legal requirements • A friendly review at the end of your course, advice on what you can do next and what skill/qualifications you can achieve • A certificate when you complete the course What your learning centre expects of you: • You must keep bookings made for workstation sessions. If for any reason you cannot make your booked session you must contact us to tell us so that you cannot attend • Notify us if you decide not to complete your course • Follow our safe studying guidelines and do not put yourself or others at risk • Take care of any equipment you use and report any faults • Behave with courtesy and respect for centre staff and all other learners • Help us to help you by keeping your records up to date and completing any learner survey and feedback forms • Help us to continually improve this centre by giving us your suggestions and ideas

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APTCO Limited

Equality and Diversity Policy The centre is committed to providing an environment free from bullying harassment or discrimination that respects all individuals and recognises diversity, ensuring quality of opportunity for all, irrespective of race, gender, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, age, class or disability. Our objective is to comply with all relevant equality and diversity legislation and to challenge the use of discriminatory language or behaviour by learners and staff APTCO Limited actively seeks to demonstrate this commitment by adopting policies, codes of practice and action plans to combat discrimination in any form. Staff and students are required to reflect their commitment to equality of opportunities and anti-discriminatory practices. The centre will promote equality of opportunity for all students and staff by: •

demonstrating opposition to all forms of discrimination in every aspect of its operations, identifying and removing practices and procedures which unfairly discriminate, increasing awareness and positive attitudes at all levels in the centre toward people experiencing discrimination, creating a welcoming atmosphere for all students, staff and visitors, monitoring all operations to ensure no form of discrimination or harassment is taking place

•

developing learning opportunities that are flexible and attractive to learners and are designed to appeal to people from all backgrounds and achievements in order to strive towards greater inclusion

•

promote our equal opportunities policy and assure it through our quality assurance system, staff recruitment training and development

•

a learner charter is issued to all learners and sets out our commitment to help and give advice to learners on how to overcome disadvantage and the expectation that learners will act with respect at all times towards others

•

our complaints procedure allows learners to take up issues that they have not been able to resolve within the centre

•

our policy is regularly reviewed especially when there are significant changes in legislation or circumstances

This policy will be monitored through the analysis of complaints, learner feedback, completions and achievements.

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APTCO Limited

Health and Safety Policy Your learning centre will: • • • • • • • • • • •

Provide a learning environment which is well lit, properly ventilated and heated. Ensure that floors and indoor traffic areas are cleaned regularly and kept free of obstructions. Set aside an area for refreshments. Drinks may be taken to the workstation – we simply ask that care is taken to avoid spillages. Should a spillage occur, please report it to a member of staff immediately. Ensure that portable appliance testing is carried out regularly. Any equipment which is not functioning correctly, will be disconnected until a repair can be effected. Ensure that emergency exits are clearly sign posted. Have a register of students to enable them to sign in and out. Have an assembly point to meet in the event of an emergency where the register will be checked. Ensure that the fire alarm is tested regularly. Staff will be trained in first aid. Provide aids such as wrist supports, foot rest, anti glare screens and any other equipment necessary on request to make your training with us more comfortable Ensure that learners staff and visitors are adequately covered by Public Liability and Employers Liability Insurance

What your learning centre expects of you: • • • • •

Sign in and out of our attendance register. Observe our no smoking policy throughout the building. Be conscious of hazards to yourself and other students – immediately report any possible problems to a member of staff. Read and follow the advice given about use of monitors and ergonomics in your handbook – especially to take regular breaks! Ensure that you have read and understood the emergency procedures and are aware of the nearest emergency exit.

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APTCO Limited

Disciplinary procedure Learners are expected to conform to a reasonable standard of behaviour towards their fellow students and centre staff. All staff and learners are required to act in such a way that they do not cause offence to others.

We will not tolerate any racial or sexual harassment, bullying or other breaches of our equal opportunities policy and will exclude the learner. Harassment is any conduct that is unwanted by the recipient or which affects the dignity of any individual or group of individuals and is any incident that occurs more than once. Physical harassment is contact (e.g. touching, patting, assault or other gestures which cause intimidation). Verbal harassment is caused by unwelcome remarks, suggestions or propositions, malicious gossip, insults jokes or banter. Non-verbal harassment is defined as offensive literature or pictures, graffiti or computer imagery, isolation or non-cooperation and exclusion from social activities. If you act in such a way as to threaten, intimidate or otherwise harass our staff, or your conduct is violent or threatens the physical safety of either our staff or any other person at a learning centre or commit offences such as theft, assault, affray, damage to centre property, failure to observe health and safety policy and any other serious offences this will mean suspension from training while the disciplinary procedure is followed: For minor offences the student will be required to attend a disciplinary meeting with the centre manager to discuss the problems and will be entitled to bring a friend or family member. The learner will be advised in writing the nature of the offence and invited to meet with the centre manager to discuss the problem within 28 days of the offence. The learner will be entitled to bring a friend or family member. The student will be notified of the centre manager’s decision within 5 working days and this decision will be final.

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APTCO Limited

Complaints procedure We encourage comments on the quality of our service. If however you have any problems or complaints about the centre or its services then please contact one of the centre staff directly. We treat every complaint seriously and in the strictest confidence. If a complaint is brought to the attention of centre staff or management it will be investigated promptly and appropriate action taken. All complaints will be investigated and the following information recorded: • • • • • • •

Name of complainant What occurred? When and where it occurred Frequency Witness names Wishes of the complainant Steps taken to stop or avoid recurrences

We aim to resolve complaints fairly and to your satisfaction. If we cannot resolve your problem within 7 days or you are not satisfied with our response we will provide you with contact details on where you complaint can be taken further. Complaints will be recorded and analysed on a quarterly basis.

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APTCO Limited

Learner User Code This code is to provide a guide to acceptable behaviour in learning centres and the use of materials provided.

Use of Learning Centres and their Facilities Learners who make use of learning centres and their facilities must adhere to the following guidelines: Acceptable Behaviour Learners must behave responsibly and conduct themselves in an appropriate manner whilst attending the learning centre. The learning centre reserves the right to withdraw learners if their behaviour is deemed to be unacceptable. Whilst not an exhaustive list, unacceptable behaviour includes learners being abusive to fellow learners and/or staff, learners under the influence of drink, learners under the influence of drugs. Please also refer to our Disciplinary Procedure in your handbook.

Appointments Learners making appointments to see staff at a learning centre, or to reserve a workstation must either keep the appointment or telephone more than two hours before the appointment to inform staff that they will be unable to attend.

Responsible Use of Computer Facilities When using the computer facilities at learning centres, learners must only use them for purposes associated with their learning. Any use of learning centre computer facilities for purposes other than those that might reasonably be associated with learning will be deemed as unacceptable use. Unacceptable use would include producing or circulating any illegal, offensive, indecent or otherwise unacceptable material from learning centre facilities. Learners must also take reasonable care not to damage or leave open to damage any learning centre equipment. This includes such actions as leaving a computer open to a virus, infecting a computer with a virus, or causing physical damage to learning centre facilities. Any costs incurred by learning centres for damaged equipment or inappropriate use of facilities will be borne by the learner(s) responsible.

Health and Safety Learners must refer to the Health and Safety policy in their handbook and make themselves aware of, and abide by the Health and Safety procedures, and the Emergency Evacuation procedures of the learning centre.

Use of websites You will not to use chatroom, message board or webspace facilities or any part of the learndirect or Pitman Training websites for any unlawful purposes: •

to transmit or communicate any material which is obscene, offensive, blasphemous, pornographic, unlawful, threatening, menacing, abusive, harmful (particularly to minors), an invasion of privacy, defamatory, libellous, vulgar or otherwise objectionable;

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APTCO Limited

Learner User Code •

to transmit or communicate any material which infringes our, or any other persons copyrights, trade marks, patents, moral rights or other intellectual property rights of any nature for commercial purposes, including, without limitation, the publishing or circulation of any promotion, advertisement, or the solicitation of funds or the sale or supply of goods or services;

•

to transmit or communicate any unsolicited or unauthorised materials, chain letters, junk mail or spam;

•

to transmit any material which is likely to cause harm to our computer systems, including but not limited to any virus, code, worm, data or other routine purposely designed to damage or cause any defect, error, malfunction or corruption to any computer system;

•

to transmit or communicate any material in breach of the Computer Misuse Act 1990;

•

to impersonate or falsely state or misrepresent your association with any entity or person including without limitation APTCO Limited, learndirect, the learndirect centres, tutors, members or other learners;

•

to obtain, collect or store any personal data about any visitors, members or other learners;

•

to transmit applications which make excessive demands on bandwidth;

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APTCO Limited

Quality assurance statement APTCO Limited is committed to the process of continuous policy development which is achieved by measuring, evaluation planning and acting to improve the quality of provision. Our aim is to ensure that quality is the responsibility of all staff. The focus of the centre is on learners with the provision of relevant and flexible quality training programmes and assessment to suit their needs and lifestyles and we are committed to the provision of the highest quality learner experience and achievement. Learners are asked to complete a questionnaire, results of which are analysed quarterly and any necessary actions taken. If the learners ask for their comments to be dealt with individually, then these will be followed up and any remedial action taken. APCTO Limited produces and maintain a student handbook providing copies of all our policies and issues this to each new student.

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APTCO Limited Data Protection APTCO Limited needs to keep certain personal data, for example about its staff and students, to fulfil its purpose and to meet its legal obligations to funding bodies and government. To comply with the law, information must be collected and used fairly, stored safely and not disclosed to any other person unlawfully. To do this, APTCO Limited must comply with the Data Protection Principles which are set out in the Data Protection Act, 1998.

Principles Personal data shall:

• • • • • • • •

Be obtained and processed fairly and lawfully and shall not be processed unless certain conditions are met. Be obtained for a specified and lawful purpose and shall not be processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose. Be adequate, relevant and not excessive for those purposes. Be accurate and kept up to date. Not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose. Be processed in accordance with the data subject's rights. Be kept secure from unauthorised access, accidental loss or destruction. Not be transferred to a country outside the European Economic Area, unless that country has equivalent levels of protection for personal data.

APTCO Limited and all its staff who process or use personal information must ensure that they follow these principles at all times. In order to ensure that this happens, APTCO Limited has developed this Data Protection Policy.

Status of the Policy This policy has been approved by APTCO Limited and any breach will be taken seriously and may result in more formal action. Any member of staff or student who considers that the policy has not been followed in respect of personal data about themselves should raise the matter with the management team in the first instance.

Notification of Data Held and Processed All staff, students and other users are entitled to

• • • •

Ask what information APTCO Limited holds about them and why. Ask how to gain access to it. Be informed how to keep it up to date. Be informed what APTCO Limited is doing to comply with its obligations under the 1998 Data Protection Act.

Responsibilities of Staff and Students All staff and students are responsible for:

• • •

Checking that any personal data that they provide to APTCO Limited is accurate and up to date. Informing APTCO Limited of any changes to information which they have provided, e.g. changes of address. Checking any information that APTCO Limited may send out from time to time, giving details of information that is being kept and processed.

If, as part of their responsibilities, staff collect information about other people (e.g. about students course work or personal circumstances, or about members of staff), they must comply with the Policy and with the Data Protection Guidance Notes.

Data Security

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APTCO Limited Data Protection The need to ensure that data is kept securely means that precautions must be taken against physical loss or damage, and that both access and disclosure must be restricted. All staff are responsible for ensuring that:

• •

Any personal data which they hold is kept securely Personal information is not disclosed either orally or in writing or otherwise to any unauthorised third party.

Detailed advice on data security is contained in the Data Protection Guidance Notes.

Rights to Access Information Staff and students and other users of APTCO Limited have the right to access any personal data that is being kept about them on computer and also have access to paper-based data held in certain manual filing systems. Any person who wishes to exercise this right should make the request in writing to the Manager, using the standard form which is available from APTCO Limited. APTCO Limited will make a charge on each occasion that access is requested. APTCO Limited aims to comply with requests for access to personal information as quickly as possible, but will ensure that it is provided within 40 days of receipt of a completed form unless there is good reason for delay. In such cases, the reason for delay will be explained in writing to the individual making the request.

Publication of Information Information that is already in the public domain is exempt from the 1998 Act. This would include, for example, information on staff contained within externally circulated publications. Any individual who has good reason for wishing details in such publications to remain confidential should contact the Data Controller.

Subject Consent The need to process data for normal purposes has been communicated to all staff, and to students at enrolment. In some cases, if the data is sensitive, for example information about health, race or gender, express consent to process the data must be obtained. Processing may be necessary to operate APTCO Limited policies, such as health and safety and equal opportunities.

Retention of Data APTCO Limited will keep some forms of information for longer than others. We have a Records Retention Schedule, which can be obtained on request.

APTCO Limited’s Designated Data Controller APTCO Limited is the data controller under the Act and is therefore ultimately responsible for implementation. However, day to day matters will be dealt with by the Manager. Any questions or concerns about the interpretation or operation of this policy should be taken up in the first instance with the Data Controller.

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APTCO Limited Disability Discrimination Policy & Procedure APTCO Ltd recognises its responsibilities to students and staff, in respect of provisions covering disability discrimination, and actively encourages all students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. APTCO Limited is committed to achieving full civil rights for disabled people, creating a culture and physical environment in which all disabled people can participate fully as equal citizens. Discrimination occurs when for a reason relating to the disability, the disabled person is treated less favourably than a person to whom that reason does not apply, without justification. Whether particular steps are reasonable in addressing problems of disability is contingent upon: • Cost • Effectiveness • Size and resources available • Extent of disruption • Availability of financial or other assistance Specific Definitions Disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and longtem effect on ability to carry out normal day to day activities Physical or mental impairment is defined as a clinically well recognised illness, excludes addictions and various personality and social disorders includes disfigurement. Substantial is defined as the time taken to carry out an activity, the way in which an activity is carried out, the cumulative effects of an impairment, effects of behaviour, effects of the environment Long term effect is defined as it has lasted for twelve months, likely to last for twelve months or will last the rest of the life of the person affected. Normal day to day activities are defined as mobility, manual dexterity, physical coordination, continence, ability to lift, carry or otherwise move everyday objects, speech, hearing or eyesight, memory or ability to concentrate, learn or understand, perception of risks of physical danger Responsibilities APTCO Limited will ensure that all its employees and users of its facilities are made aware of the legal obligations and rights bestowed by Disability Discrimination legislation. All staff have a duty to observe the provisions of the

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APTCO Limited Disability Discrimination Policy & Procedure Disability Discrimination Act 1995, as amended by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001. From September 2002, it will be unlawful to discriminate against disabled people or students by treating them less favourably than others. In addition, responsible bodies will be required to provide certain types of reasonable adjustments to provision where disabled students or other disabled people might otherwise be substantially disadvantaged, with the exception of the following clauses: i) From September 2003, responsible bodies will be required to make adjustments that involve the provision of auxiliary aids and services; ii) From September 2005, responsible bodies will be required to make adjustments to physical features of premises where these put disabled people or students at substantial disadvantage. The duty to make reasonable adjustments includes: Adjustments to premises, allocating some of the disabled person’s non-key duties to another employee, transferring them to fill a vacancy, altering the place of work or working hours, acquiring or modifying equipment, providing a reader or interpreter, providing supervision, allowing absence for rehabilitation, assessment or treatment, providing training, modifying procedures for testing and assessment, modifying instructions/reference manuals Staff Awareness As required under SENDA 2001, all staff will receive information and guidance on provision for disabled students. Enrolment Arrangements A staff member interviews all students and where there is an identified learning difficulty or physical disability any special requirements are noted. Any reasonable accommodations will be made. If this is not possible we will refer to a specialist organisation. Academic and Curriculum Support Any student with a disability, who, after an assessment by a staff member is thought to need the assistance of a facilitator, is supplied with one. Any student who requires extra help in Maths, English or Key Skills, in order to successfully complete their course of study, is entitled to enrol for suitable learndirect courses. Examination Arrangements Students who require special arrangements or additional support during examinations must make this request to their supervisor who will make the necessary arrangements.

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APTCO Limited Disability Discrimination Policy & Procedure Facilities APTCO Limited is situated on the first floor of a modern building and is serviced by a lift. The management company responsible for the building have been asked about provision of disabled toilets. Resources Specialist software for visually impaired students is also available. Staff have first aid qualifications. Staff are able to signpost students to personal and careers advice and a counselling service. If a problem is of a serious nature the matter is referred to relevant professional agencies. Complaints Our complaints procedure is detailed in the handbook.

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APTCO Limited Suite 1, Janus Houuse, 46 St. Andrews Street, Cambridge, CB2 3AH

Student Handbook I have read and understood the contents of this handbook.

Name: Signature: Date:

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