QQI Manual Handling Instruction

If you are booking a place through your company, your organisation may be eligible for partial funding support for our accredited public courses. This support may be available through the following Skillnet:

• Fingal Chamber Skillnet

For more information contact skillnet@fingalchamber.ie to find out if your company is eligible for funding.

1. Expertise in Manual Handling Techniques: The course equips participants with in-depth knowledge of proper manual handling techniques. Participants learn how to assess and minimise the risks associated with manual handling tasks, ensuring the safety and well-being of themselves and their colleagues.
2. Compliance with Legal Requirements: The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work, (General Applications) Regulations 2007, Chapter 4 of Part 2, outline the requirements that must be adhered to in relation to manual handling. By becoming a certified Manual Handling Instructor, individuals can demonstrate compliance with these legal requirements and ensure that their organisation adheres to health and safety regulations.
3. Improved Workplace Safety: Manual handling injuries are common in various industries. By completing a Manual Handling Instructor course, individuals gain the skills and knowledge to identify potential hazards, assess risks, and implement appropriate control measures. They can then effectively train colleagues to perform manual handling tasks safely, reducing the risk of injuries and accidents in the workplace.
4. Cost Reduction: Workplace injuries resulting from improper manual handling practices can lead to increased costs for organisations. These costs may include medical expenses, workers’ compensation claims, productivity losses, and potential legal issues. By training employees correctly through a Manual Handling Instructor course, organisations can reduce the likelihood of such incidents and minimise associated costs.
5. Empowering and Engaging Employees: Providing manual handling training can empower employees by equipping them with the knowledge and skills to perform their tasks safely and confidently. This leads to increased engagement, morale, and job satisfaction. As a Manual Handling Instructor, you can contribute to creating a positive and safety-focused work culture.
6. Enhanced Training and Communication Skills: The course not only covers manual handling techniques but also emphasises effective teaching methodologies and communication skills. Manual Handling Instructors learn how to deliver engaging and informative training sessions, communicate clearly, and tailor the training to different learning styles. These skills can be valuable in various professional contexts.
7. Career Advancement Opportunities: Becoming a certified Manual Handling Instructor can open up career advancement opportunities. Organisations across different industries value employees who possess expertise in health and safety training, as it contributes to maintaining a safe and compliant work environment. This certification can enhance your professional profile and potentially lead to roles related to health and safety training or consultancy.

• Learners must be competent in the written and spoken language which the course is being delivered in. This is English unless otherwise indicated. Use of translators are only permitted with prior agreement from The Cpl Institute. The translator cannot be a participant on the course.
• Cpl Institute will make every effort to ensure that courses are inclusive. However, we require notification if learners have any injuries, illnesses, physical disabilities, learning difficulties, or if learners are pregnant, to ensure we can assist learners effectively.
• As this training course includes practical activities, it is important that learners are physically capable of performing movements and lifting tasks in order to fully participate. To ensure learner comfort and safety during these sessions, we recommend wearing loose-fitting, comfortable clothing along with flat, supportive shoes. This will help learners to carry out the lifting exercises more effectively and get the most out of the practical instruction provided throughout the course.

Attendance

Full attendance is essential for all QQI accredited courses, and learners are expected to be present for the entire duration of the programme. Attending every session ensures that learners gain the complete range of knowledge and skills required, and it is a key condition for being eligible to sit examinations and submit assignments.

If, for any reason, learners are unable to attend part of the course, they must let us know as soon as possible. While missing sessions may affect their ability to complete certain elements, such as exams or assessments, we are committed to supporting learners. Our team will do their best to work with learners to find a suitable solution and help learners stay on track towards successfully completing their programme.

On course completion learners will be able to:

• Communicate the principles and theories related to manual handling.
• Demonstrate safe manual handling skills.
• Use effective presentation skills to deliver manual handling instruction.
• Provide manual handling instruction to learners who have varying levels of competence to include planning, preparation delivery and evaluation.

Course Programme:

• Unit 1 – Legislation Requirements and Health Benefit
• Unit 2 – Anatomy and Back Care
• Unit 3 – Ergonomics Principles and Risk Assessments
• Unit 4 – Manual Handling Principles and Techniques
• Unit 5 – Planning and Design of Manual Handling Training Programmes
• Unit 6 – Delivery of Manual Handling Training

What to Expect:

• Highly participative and interactive course
• Presentations by participants
• Practical flexibility and strengthening exercises
• Practical Risk Assessment Workshops
• Course assessment – presentation and written exam

Methods of Training:

The course will incorporate a wide range of interactive training tools including ice breakers, videos, visual presentations, group work, individual tasks, problem based learning and exercises with a strong emphasis on practical application throughout. The Manual Handling Instructor course is extremely interactive, providing participants with the opportunity to prepare and practice their skills demonstration. All participants will receive a comprehensive a manual handling instructor learner handbook.

Benefits of the Blended Learning Approach

Following guidance from our subject matter experts, the blended model has been carefully designed to balance accessibility with quality. The first two days are delivered via Zoom, focusing on theoretical knowledge and instructional techniques. The final two days take place in-person, allowing learners to demonstrate their practical competence and teaching ability.

Participants are required to complete an assignment, examination and make a skills demonstration as indicated below. The fair and consistent assessment of learners is paramount to the CPL Institute and is implemented through our QA system. All assessments are carried out in accordance with QQI regulations and are internally verified and externally authenticated before certification is issued.

Below is a breakdown of the assessments and the recommended time to allocate for each one:

• Manual Handling Risk Assessment: Learners will be asked to carry out a written risk assessment of a manual handling task. A detailed brief and a template will be provided to support this assignment. The completed assessment should be approximately 750 words in length. We recommend setting aside around 2 hours to complete this task, which is due on the final day of the course.
• Presentation Preparation: Learners will be expected to prepare a lesson plan and a short presentation on a topic relevant to the course. The presentation should last around 15 minutes and will be delivered on the final day. We suggest allocating 2 hours to prepare thoroughly for this task.
• Manual Handling Exam Preparation: Learners should also dedicate time to studying for the Manual Handling Exam, which consists of 20 short questions. To ensure learners feel confident and well-prepared, we recommend allowing at least 2 hours for revision. The exam will also take place on the final day of the course.

These assessments are structured to support their learning journey and help learners apply their knowledge in practical, real-world scenarios. With good time management and commitment, learners will be well-equipped to succeed in all aspects of the course.

Summary of Assessments:

• Skills Demonstration 60%
• Examination (Theory Based) 20%
• Assignment 20% (to be completed in learners’ own time)

Grading:

• Pass 50-64%
• Merit 65-79%
• Distinction 80-100%

Skills Demonstration:

Candidates will be assessed in skills (based in Units 4, 5 & 6) in the following areas:

• Carry out a range of manual handling techniques and apply to manual handling tasks.
• Analyse learner’s performance of manual handling techniques.
• Give effective instruction in practical manual handling.
• Deliver effective presentation

Candidates should demonstrate the skills with due care and attention. A checklist will be used to assess the range of skills to become a manual handling instructor.

Examination:

This is a theory based examination of approximately 60 minutes duration that assesses the candidate’s ability to recall and apply theory and understanding of components from units 1, 2 & 3, requiring responses to a arrange of short answer questions. The learner must achieve at least 16 correct answers to pass the assessment. Candidates will be required to complete the exam in writing or orally.

Assignment:

Each candidate must present an assignment which demonstrates their understanding of unit 3 and ability to carry out a manual handling risk assessment, discuss a case study or devise a lesson plan as a Manual Handling Instructor. The assignment should identify theoretical understanding and practical application on a range of specific learning outcomes in unit 3. The assignment must be presented in written or type format. The brief will require the learner to present information in relation to above mentioned areas. The assignment will be given to the delegates at the end of the course and must be submitted 2 weeks following course completion.

Please note that this is a modular course. Each course has its own specific timetable and participants are not encouraged to attend later modules or exam days on alternative courses, but the CPL Institute will accommodate, when possible, the transfer to a later course/examination when participants cannot complete the course due to circumstances outside their control.

National Framework of Qualifications: Course qualifies as 10 credits towards QQI (Level 6) Certificates and is a recognised module within the National Framework of Qualifications.

• Assignments must be completed within three weeks of course completion date and sent to submissions@thecplinstitute.ie.
• Extension requests must be requested in writing and emailed to support@thecplinstitute.ie.
• If learners do not request an extension in writing prior to the submission date of their assignment / project, it will be treated as a non-submission, and learners will receive zero marks.

Appeals

All participants have the right to appeal their result and all appeals will be dealt with in accordance with the the CPL Institute QQI appeals procedure. All participants who successfully complete the written examinations and practical assignments will be awarded with a QQI level 6 Special Purpose Manual Handling Instruction certificate and the appropriate credits under the national framework of qualifications will then be obtained by the learner. Participants will be given clear guidelines on how the assignment should be completed. The skills demonstration element will be completed and assessed during the course.

All participants’ names, gender, DOB and PPS numbers must be supplied to the CPL Institute as part of QQI certification requirements.

• Learners must have access to a laptop/computer with a webcam and mic, along with a internet connection – broadband wired or wireless. (Applicable for courses delivered in a blended format.)
• A laptop or tablet is required. It must have Microsoft PowerPoint or similar software installed as learners will need to create a lesson plan and deliver a presentation as part of their final assessment on day 4.
• Learners will also require Microsoft Word or similar software to complete a risk assessment and lesson plan as part of the course programme.

Do I need to download the Zoom App if completing the blended option?

You can join your meeting on the Zoom app but users can also join Zoom meetings or webinars from their web browser and bypass downloading Zoom. Simply, locate the meeting invite link from your email or calendar invitation. Click the join link to join the meeting. If a pop-up window prompts you to open or install the Zoom desktop app, click Cancel.

Technical Support

If learners have any academic or IT issues, they can contact at support@thecplinstitute.ie from 8.30am until 5pm Monday to Friday. Outside of hours contact info@thecplinstitute.ie and if their query is deemed urgent, we will reply as soon as we can.

On registering for the course, you will receive an email with the following attachments: 

• Assignment Template – Learners will be required to download the template, fill out the cover sheet and use this document when completing their assignment.
• Assignment Brief – Learners will be required to read this important information so they can prepare for their final assignment following the course.
• Skills Demonstration Brief – Learners will be required to read this important information so they can prepare for their skills demonstration during the course.
• Manual Handling Risk Assessment Checklist – Learners will be required to complete this document as part of their assignment.
• Blank and Sample Lesson Plan – Learners will be required to complete this as part of their Skills Demonstration
• QQI Learner Information Sheet – Learners will be required to read this document and ensure they are aware of all QQI processes and procedures.
• QQI Award Specifications – This document includes full details of the Learning Outcomes, Assignment details and progression information of their QQI course.
• Calendar Appointments – These diary invites can be opened and saved to the learner online calendars

Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) is the state agency responsible for promoting the quality, integrity and reputation of Ireland’s further and higher education system.  They ensure that learners achieve qualifications that are valued nationally and internationally, and they provide trusted information on the qualifications included on the National Framework of Qualifications.

For more information on Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) and what they do, click on this link to access their website. 

QQI Certificate Timelines

Please note that depending on when their assignments have been submitted, corrected and internally verified it may be a few months before learners will receive their Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) certificate.

QQI only allow organisations to upload courses every two months – February, April, June, August, October and December. After we upload to QQI, it is then a number of weeks before we receive the certificates back from QQI.

Further Progression

Learners who achieve this award may transfer into programmes leading to the Level 6 Specific Purpose Certificate in People Handling Instruction.

For more details on the full course specifications and credit values, click on the link below:

Special Purpose Specification NFQ Level 6 – Manual Handling Instruction 6S0242 

On successful completion of the course, learners will have to certify their colleagues/staff in their companies and create their own certificates. To help with course management we can provide a blank Manual Handling Instructor PDF Pack on request.

The pack includes:

• Course Attendance Sheet
• Course Declaration Form (To be completed and signed by learners confirming their ability to carry out the practical lifts)
• Course Presentation
• Course Quiz
• Practical Lifts Assessment Form
• Learner Feedback Form
• Course Certificate

The pack will also be available to purchase as a customisable pack at this link where you can submit your company’s logo and colours to be used to create a branded instructor pack for your business.

This pack can be purchased by all Manual Handling Instructors regardless if they completed the course with The Cpl institute or not. However, they must provide us with a QQI Manual Handling Instructor certificate as proof that they are a qualified Manual Handling Instructor.