Use it or lose it: Funding for training for BWF members

The WITForum has a £25,000 to cover a range of training solutions including: the Fenestration MTC, Machine Refresher, Corian Fabricator Training, and Marketing Training. However, the fund is quite flexible, so members who have other training needs should contact Dave Campbell, Head of Training, to see if they would be eligible for funding support.

The fund is available for CITB registered and in-scope companies within the BWF membership. A company may claim up to £1,000 of this fund, although there are specific terms and conditions for individual courses below.

Fenestration MTC

As part of new government regulations, companies installing and surveying windows through a competent persons scheme like FENSA, are now required to have their installers and surveys assessed through the Fenestration Minimum Technical Competence (MTC) in order to obtain a card authorising them to carry out the work.

Funding is available for up to three individuals undertaking the MTC with FENSA within a BWF member company that is registered and in-scope of CITB. Other terms & conditions apply

To register for this grant, please download and return a WITForum Training Fund claim form

Machine Refresher Training

It is a requirement from the HSE that all machine operators undertake refresher training at least every 5 years. The WITForum offers a machine refresher training service through Didac Ltd where your staff can be trained in-house on your specific machines.

Funding is available up to £1,000 per company for BWF Members who are registered and in-scope of CITB.

Companies can tailor the training to their specific machines, which can include CNC, as well as traditional machines.

To register for this training and for the grant, please complete this machine listing form and return it to Dave Campbell, BWF Head of Training

Marketing Training

To help our members to increase their skills around marketing, funds are now available to support marketing skills courses in the following areas:

• Generating Sales Leads
• Helping turn sales leads into orders
• Improving sales conversion rates
• Selling value propositions
• Gaining returns from marketing activity
• Making best use of referrals and loyalty
• Selling through specification
• Developing merchant business
• Negotiating better prices

We hope to run some specific training courses specifically for BWF members, but this will be demand led. Where common location and topic areas can be identified for sufficient numbers, BWF will arrange courses. Where a suitable location to serve a number of members or where common topic areas cannot be found, open sessions are available through our training provider from their Leamington Spa premises.

Funding is available for up to three individuals with a maximum grant contribution of £1,000 per company.

To register for this training, please email Dave Campbell, BWF Head of Training

General Guidance

Companies may do more than one of the courses listed above, but there is a limited of £1,000 support per company, from a total pot of £25,000 for the BWF membership as a whole. If companies access funding the BWF's Spraying, Timber and Panel Products Knowledge or SHAD events, this uses the same fund and will be taken off the £1,000 allocation per company. Funding will be allocated subject to eligibility and on a first-come-first-served basis. All companies claiming grants must be registered (for free) on the BWF’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programme.