Online training specialist The Digital College has launched a Mental Health First Aider course students can study on the go or at home, achieving a recognized Level 2 qualification
The Digital College has created an on-demand Mental Health First Aid qualification to enable employers to train staff quickly and cost-effectively through online training and provide support for their colleagues.
This course is a timely boost to support mental health in the construction sector. According to the Chartered Institute of Building, one in four construction workers considered suicide in 2019.
Across businesses as a whole, stress, depression and anxiety are the number one reasons for days lost from work, totaling a staggering 17 million days lost in HSE’s 2021/22 report.
More policy and training is needed to handle mental health within the industry
There is recognition across the construction industry of the need to address mental health and wellbeing in the workforce.
However, although employers remain at the forefront of this challenge, many lack the knowledge and experience within their own staff to tackle ill health. In one survey, less than half the organisations had a mental health policy.
Mental health first aiders are seen by many as a key part of the workplace support network. By some estimates over half a million have been trained to date.
Mental Health First Aiders act as a point of contact for anyone needing initial assistance with their mental health and are trained to refer individuals on to the appropriate professional help.
The on-demand Mental Health First Aider course is part of a wide range of resources
The Digital College’s new course provides attendees with around 12 hours of guided learning content, which include video-based training, online activities and assessments to check progress.
Candidates as assessed at the end of the course via a multiple choice exam, while being watched by a real life invigilator.
The qualification joins another ten already offered to employers by the college in an on-demand format, including the ever-popular Health and Safety for the construction environment course. The college has broadened its range over recent years and now offers its clients nearly 100 different business courses; covering topics such as IT, health and safety, and project management.
Matt Kingswood, CEO of The Digital College, said “We are hopeful that ease of access and lower cost of self-paced online learning will encourage more employers and their staff to become Mental Health First Aiders ”.
