You know those yummy looking cakes we all love ?

Well one of the reasons they look so yummy is that they are often decorated with glitters, sprinkles and sparkly dust. But they must comply with the law.

Some glitters, sprinkles and dusts that are labelled “edible” must comply with legislation Regulation 1333/2008 and packaging must also show the E number of any additives they contain. Only those glitters, sprinkles and dusts which adhere to this legislation can be used on food.

Some glitters, sprinkles and dusts are labelled “non toxic”. This does not mean that they are safe to eat or even that they are suitable for use with food. They must again comply with the relevant legislation and only those that have been tested for use with food can be used as food decoration. BUT they must be removed from the product before consumption and must not be eaten.

When using decorative items such as lettering, flowers or models (such as snowmen, bride & groom, etc.) these again must be suitable for use with food and any glitter or colouring matter must not fall into or onto the food. These items must be removed before the product is eaten.

Carlton Training runs Food Safety Courses across the UK..

Great to see that all our PTLLS candidates on our recent course held in Newcastle have passed their teaching !

Well done guys and girls – you’re now qualified to go out there and start teaching !  Go for it.

All passed !

A few well earned drinks and a pat on the back all round.

The government’s Food Standards Agency is to pay for a systematic review on the survival of norovirus in foods and on food contact surfaces.

According to their website “Human enteric viruses are a major cause of infectious intestinal disease (IID) in the UK, and foodborne transmission is thought to be an important route of infection. However, the amount to which different food sources are responsible for norovirus infection is currently poorly understood.”

It is hoped that proper research into this area will lead to improvements in the advice regarding prevention of contamination within the food chain.

A construction worker was injured  after falling four metres from the cage of a 20-tonne cherry-picker into the path of a moving bus, which then pushed him another 15 metres along the Euston Road.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted national construction firm Galliford Try Construction Limited for serious safety failings which led to the worker suffering severe injuries.

The employee was part of a two-man team brought in by Galliford Try to fix snagging issues at the iconic St Pancras Renaissance Hotel and Chambers, which had just undergone a £103 million restoration by the company.

Full story here

Well done to all the candidates on our PTLLS course in Glasgow this week, who have all passed their micro teach sample lessons !

We produce all our own course material for the PTLLS 6302 course – all put together here by our in house team of experts.  Candidates are given a course handbook, handouts, guidance and templates during the course, all of which are specifically designed to make it as straightforward as possible to gain the qualification.

As well as this our team is on hand to help and guide you.

What is the new 6302 course?

On the new PTLLS course you will learn things that all effective teachers will find useful. First, we will talk about the role and responsibilities of a teacher, in other words, things that teachers do to make learning enjoyable and inclusive for all. We will discuss how to get ready for a course or a lesson, how to meet learners’ needs, how to teach and assess effectively and finally how to evaluate own teaching. We will also explain what records to keep and how to use them to benefit your teaching.

One part of the course is practical lesson planning during which you will learn about lesson aims and objectives, key stages of a lesson and how to teach bearing in mind different students’ needs. You will also have a chance to use the lesson plan and deliver a short lesson to other students on the course. The topic of the lesson can be subject of your choice. After the lesson you will receive feedback which will help you develop your planning and teaching skills.

Lastly, we will talk about how adults learn, how to choose the right methods and materials for all and how to motivate your learners. You will learn about constructive feedback and how to use it to support students on your course.

Overall, this course will give you basic skills to plan, prepare and deliver learning effectively.

Blogger : Baiba Eberte

The new PTLLS is similar to the previous award. As before PTLLS  students have to do some theory and practical tasks. Students are taught about roles and responsibilities of a teacher in the lifelong learning sector, how to promote equality and diversity and how to deliver inclusive lessons. The course also covers the use of different teaching and assessment methods and resources as well as how to apply them for the benefit of all learners. The practical element of the course is still a 15 minute long micro-teaching lesson which students have to deliver to their classmates. Students are required to demonstrate good subject knowledge, communication skills and smooth lesson delivery.

The difference between the new PTLLS and the old one is mainly in credit value. PTLLS used to be a 6 credit award, but the new one gives the student 12 credits. These credit points count towards the next qualifications up such as CTLLS and DTLLS. The new PTLLS also involves a slightly different approach towards assessment – students can submit their work not only as written assignments, but also as a presentation, therefore it is a bit more creative and will appeal to a range of people.

Blogger : Baiba Eberte

TV magician and 1980s star Paul Daniels recently had cause to give himself first aid following an accident making stage props for his act.

Working alone with a power saw Paul slipped and severely injured his had and severed a finger.  He drove himself to hospital whilst clutching the injured hand to reduce the bleeding.  Luckily medics were able to reattach the finger (not with magic but with conventional medicine)  and patch up the rest of his injuries.

How much work is involved with the Assessor awards ?

To achieve the ‘Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement’ (the qualification that enables Assessors to work in any assessment environment using a wide range of assessment methods) you have to succeed in three Units:

Unit 1 The theory behind assessing, the role of the Assessor and what good assessment practice consists of.

Unit 2 A practical unit that involves being observed assessing in the Workplace.

Unit 3 A practical unit that involves being observed assessing in a Classroom or Workshop environment.

The Carlton Training three day training course, which covers the theory necessary for the qualification. During the three days the evidence for Unit 1 will be collected and candidates will be prepared for Units 2 and 3.

Following the course each Assessor candidate is expected to prepare Assessment plans for Units 2 and 3. Once these are in place the Assessor candidate will be observed assessing learners in the workplace and in a classroom or workshop environment to gain the rest of the evidence for Units 2 and 3 and thus complete your award.