An ex-army medic who was attached to the Special Forces is sharing his first aid skills with ordinary UK workers. Using his experience in the army, Ian Alderman and his team at The National School of First Aid Training are offering cost effective First Aid at Work courses nationwide.

Ian joined the Army as a Combat Medic, serving in the Middle East and attached to UK elite forces. He also worked with officer candidates at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and was involved with the training of pre-deployment troops in urban warfare. Ian, as well as being the company Director and principle trainer for The National School of First Aid Training, is also a Fire-fighter with Strathclyde Fire and Rescue and an Area Co-ordinator for the Scottish Ambulance Service.

‘After my experience as an army medic, I make sure our training remains practical and hands on, particularly on our HSE First Aid at Work courses,’ says Ian. ‘Our courses break from the usual 'death by PowerPoint' approach of many other first aid training courses. Instead our instructors deliberately keep things simple and concise and focus on giving practical life-saving skills that are tried and tested in real life situations – not just in the controlled environment of the classroom.’

Talking to participants after one of the training company’s First Aid at Work courses it seems that Ian’s approach is paying off. ‘In terms of content and delivery this is the best first aid course I’ve attended,’ said one participant. ‘It was practical enough to build up our confidence so that we now feel able to cope in different situations. It also helped that our instructor was patient and friendly, dealing with our many specific scenario-based questions really sensitively.’

The National School of First Aid Training is based in South Lanarkshire and offers First Aid at Work courses across the UK, either in the workplace or at one of their many training centres. Details on how to book a course are on their website, or contact them by phone on 0845 544 2349 or by email at [email protected].