We often receive the same question about our PRINCE2® Training Courses here at Silicon Beach: "what's the difference between the PRINCE2 Foundation and the PRINCE2 Practitioner qualification?"

With that in mind, we thought we'd put together a handy table outlining the main differences, as well as our thoughts on which people and positions that are best suited to each course.

Hopefully, it will make your decision that little bit easier when booking your PRINCE2 Training, although if you're still struggling to decide, our sales team are always on hand to help!

So what are the main differences?

How to Comply with UK Health and Safety Legislation

Sending staff on accredited Health and Safety courses provide a wide range of benefits including reductions in insurance costs, increased productivity and profitability and an enhanced reputation for your organisation.

In addition - all businesses should take some simple steps to ensure you are compliant with HSE (health and safety executive) regulations.

To be fully compliant in terms of training - we'd recommend sending managers on an accredited course - the IOSH Managing Safely Course is available with us.

However here are our 10 Health and Safety tips to ensure that your organisation is compliant in the eyes of the HSE

Top 10 Health & Safety Tips

How to Comply with HSE Health and Safety Regulations

1. Conduct a Risk Assessment for your workplace and document it - you need to think about what could cause harm, and what precautions you will take to prevent it.
2. Any business with employees (so everyone except one-man-bands!) needs to take out Employers Liability Compulsory Insurance - you should display a copy of the certificate somewhere in your office.
3. Write down how Health and Safety is managed in your business in the form of a Health and Safety Policy (this is compulsory if you employ more than 5 people)
4. You need to have a person or people available in your organisation to provide Health and Safety advice to employees so that they can meet their responsibilities. This could be someone within your business who has received training, or an external consultant.
5. You should frequently consult employees on health and safety to ensure that they understand any responsibilities that they have and are happy with the measures you have in place.
6. Provide Health and Safety training for employees so that they are aware of the hazards and risks in the workplace and are equipped to manage them. The IOSH Managing Safely training course is a useful programme for all line managers to attend as it leads to a recognised health and safety qualification.
7. Provide basic health, safety and welfare needs for all employees. This includes access to toilets, washing facilities and drinking water. These facilities must be suitable for any employees with disabilities.
8. Provide Health and Safety Law information for employees to reference. This should take the form of a poster or leaflet displayed publicly in your workplace.
9. By law, there are some work related accidents and diseases that you must report if they occur. More details on these can be found on the HSE website
10. All businesses that deal with hazardous substances (e.g. explosives, asbestos etc...) or operate in an inherently hazardous industry (like construction) must register with the HSE

Hopefully your business already does all of the above.

If not, and you need some Health and Safety training or advice - please feel free to call us on 01273 622272 or e-mail info@siliconbeachtraining.co.uk

How to Comply with UK Health and Safety Legislation

Sending staff on accredited Health and Safety courses provide a wide range of benefits including reductions in insurance costs, increased productivity and profitability and an enhanced reputation for your organisation.

In addition - all businesses should take some simple steps to ensure you are compliant with HSE (health and safety executive) regulations.

To be fully compliant in terms of training - we'd recommend sending managers on an accredited course - the IOSH Managing Safely Course is available with us.

However here are our 10 Health and Safety tips to ensure that your organisation is compliant in the eyes of the HSE

Top 10 Health & Safety Tips

How to Comply with HSE Health and Safety Regulations

1. Conduct a Risk Assessment for your workplace and document it - you need to think about what could cause harm, and what precautions you will take to prevent it.
2. Any business with employees (so everyone except one-man-bands!) needs to take out Employers Liability Compulsory Insurance - you should display a copy of the certificate somewhere in your office.
3. Write down how Health and Safety is managed in your business in the form of a Health and Safety Policy (this is compulsory if you employ more than 5 people)
4. You need to have a person or people available in your organisation to provide Health and Safety advice to employees so that they can meet their responsibilities. This could be someone within your business who has received training, or an external consultant.
5. You should frequently consult employees on health and safety to ensure that they understand any responsibilities that they have and are happy with the measures you have in place.
6. Provide Health and Safety training for employees so that they are aware of the hazards and risks in the workplace and are equipped to manage them. The IOSH Managing Safely training course is a useful programme for all line managers to attend as it leads to a recognised health and safety qualification.
7. Provide basic health, safety and welfare needs for all employees. This includes access to toilets, washing facilities and drinking water. These facilities must be suitable for any employees with disabilities.
8. Provide Health and Safety Law information for employees to reference. This should take the form of a poster or leaflet displayed publicly in your workplace.
9. By law, there are some work related accidents and diseases that you must report if they occur. More details on these can be found on the HSE website
10. All businesses that deal with hazardous substances (e.g. explosives, asbestos etc...) or operate in an inherently hazardous industry (like construction) must register with the HSE

Hopefully your business already does all of the above.

If not, and you need some Health and Safety training or advice - please feel free to call us on 01273 622272 or e-mail info@siliconbeachtraining.co.uk

We recently wrote about an American man who used Six Sigma to control his diabetes. It went to show that Six Sigma is gradually being recognised as a system that can be used beyond the workplace and especially for more than just manufacturing.

Six Sigma is all about improving the quality of processes and thereby the end result. Now if you've ever burnt your dinner or tried out a new recipe that has not quite ended up how you expected, you'll know that cooking is an area in which quality can always be improved!

In this post then, we're going to look at one of the main tenets of Six Sigma: the DMAIC method and see how it could be applied to kitchen to show how useful it is as process and demonstrate how it works.

If you prefer your Six Sigma with a side of business, take a look at our range of Six Sigma Courses - there's one for any level of experience.

DMAIC in the Kitchen

So let's say you've got a classic go-to meal that you just love cooking; I'll use my own example of chilli con carne.

We recently wrote about an American man who used Six Sigma to control his diabetes. It went to show that Six Sigma is gradually being recognised as a system that can be used beyond the workplace and especially for more than just manufacturing.

Six Sigma is all about improving the quality of processes and thereby the end result. Now if you've ever burnt your dinner or tried out a new recipe that has not quite ended up how you expected, you'll know that cooking is an area in which quality can always be improved!

In this post then, we're going to look at one of the main tenets of Six Sigma: the DMAIC method and see how it could be applied to kitchen to show how useful it is as process and demonstrate how it works.

If you prefer your Six Sigma with a side of business, take a look at our range of Six Sigma Courses - there's one for any level of experience.

DMAIC in the Kitchen

So let's say you've got a classic go-to meal that you just love cooking; I'll use my own example of chilli con carne.

Within the Directing a Project (DP) stage of PRINCE2®, authorising a project is a particularly important process.

Without it, the next stage plan cannot be approved which means that the project cannot proceed.

In this post we'll take a look in more detail at why it is a necessary process, who is responsible for each aspect and how it should be carried out.

If you'd like to find out more about PRINCE2 processes like authorising a project, try our PRINCE2 Courses.

Why is it Needed?

By using this process it means that the project board can make sure that there is:

• An acceptable Business Case in place (read 'What is a Business Case?' for more details)
• The goals and methods of the project match that of the corporate strategy
• An acceptable set of tolerances (and scope) has been set
• Risks are accepted and outlined fully
• The right controls have been set

The outsourcing of IT and other services is now common practise. Problems can arise when it is seen as a means to pass on responsibility for service management or IT service management.

Image -'Service' by SaschaKohlmann

There are a significant number of problems for which the application of ITIL disciplines can bring substantial benefits. All of which are covered in the ITIL Foundation course.

As with many technical subjects, a little storytelling makes concepts easier to understand, so we asked our expert John A.G. Smith takes a lighter look at the subject of ITIL Contracts, Services and Agreements.

The outsourcing of IT and other services is now common practise. Problems can arise when it is seen as a means to pass on responsibility for service management or IT service management.

Image -'Service' by SaschaKohlmann

There are a significant number of problems for which the application of ITIL disciplines can bring substantial benefits. All of which are covered in the ITIL Foundation course.

As with many technical subjects, a little storytelling makes concepts easier to understand, so we asked our expert John A.G. Smith takes a lighter look at the subject of ITIL Contracts, Services and Agreements.