UVSAR

Supporting Higher Standards

UVSAR provides expert support for businesses and public agencies involved with height safety, technical and confined space rescue and risk management. This site utilises Flash 8.

Services : Training materials

Training material for the video games generation

Twenty years ago, you were probably impressed by someone playing you a video on a training course.

Ten years ago, you were probably impressed if they used Powerpoint without one of the standard colour schemes.

Now, if it doesn't look like Mission Impossible, the view out of the window becomes a lot more interesting.

Everyone knows the substance of a training course is what matters, and your delegates are there to learn things. The odd typo on a slide isn't important, surely? So what if I use photocopies of something from the Web... it's the enthusiasm which counts! Same, but no. Your audience are used to seeing Hollywood-style special effects every day, even on the news. They live in a world of embedded video, interactive content and rich media. Words are so not cool. Show them a slide with a low-quality JPEG or a botched attempt at Photoshopping and no matter how much you know about your chosen topic, you have instantly become slightly less worth respect and attention than a squirrel. You will be laughed at, and probably that laughing will happen via SMS.

Hollywood is closer than you think

Computer-generated images, videos, 3D interactive models - they're all available to use in training, even for something 'trivial' like manual handling or site induction. Why wave your arms about and talk about muscle groups, when you can show a see-through figure lifting something? Are they going to remember a fuzzy photo of the site evacuation plan, or a video clip of the view outside their window as the place burns to the ground?

Computer effects are not, however, an easy thing to create. Expert graphic designers, modellers, riggers, texturisers, animators and compositors work with software costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, running on buildings packed to the rafters with computer power. Luckily though, we have that already. You simply want a photo of a Ford Cortina, in flames, driving over a cliff near Bude. With us on board, that becomes easy. It's also cheaper than the alternative, which involves a petrol-soaked rag and a drive to Cornwall...

Delivering with interest

This all sounds great, but making a training program successful is not simply a case of dropping in a pretty picture. Our material is written by the leading experts in the topic, who each have extensive experience of training and assessment, and know what works and what looks stupid. A flashy Powerpoint show can be let down by a poor-quality set of handouts, so when we're asked to create course materials, we develop a tight-knit package of presentations, videos, delegate manuals, exam questions, assessment forms and instructor notes, to ensure nothing lets you or your delegates down. The course content can reflect your internal procedures or a standard set by a trade or national body (IRATA, BWEA, etc.) and can be tailored for UK/EU, US or Canadian legislation and standards.

The small print

We have an established reputation for producing training manuals, course materials and presentations for work at height, confined space, first aid and rescue at all levels. We can not only create content based on years of expertise and the latest regulations and standards, but also design and soft-proof documents and presentations against your current corporate identity. We have extensive experience of digital pre-press production and printing, rich content and new media.

We can work with and produce material for:-

Our material is usually provided white label and with no audience-visible attribution except for author names and where marking is required by content providers. We reserve the right to decline any project where the client requests content which is contradictory to law or which we feel is unsafe or misleading.