The UK's Association of Industrial Truck Trainers (AITT) has intervened to end the confusion over training for forklift sales personnel and service engineers.

The association points out that there is currently no consensus amongst training providers on the content and duration of training for these industry professionals, and many undergo full operator training, which is unnecessary and an uneconomical waste of employers' reources and trainees' time.

AITT has published a new standard for service and sales staff, setting out precisely both the practical and theoretical requirements for the training and testing of forklift service engineers and sales personnel.

This new training guide reduces the course duration from five days to two days, enabling trainers to target only the operator training necessary to be able to demonstrate, work on and test a truck safely, confidently and efficiently.

Engineers and sales personnel taking this course will then be fully qualified in their roles, but with a driving restriction, and an "R" certification that clearly shows that they are not operators, but engineers and salespeople.

AITT general manager Dave Sparrow says: "A forklift truck is only as safe and efficient as the professionals who supply, operate and maintain it. Trainers across the country have asked us to unify the training provision for these professionals by producing a blueprint that they can use to make sure that key issues are covered in sufficient depth.

"Importantly, we have also presented training provision that is streamlined so that we can get people back out on the shop floor as quickly as possible."

The guide also includes detailed testing and marking schemes as well as legal and health and safety requirements for training bodies.

As a leading authority in the industry, AITT's committee of industry experts is well-placed to produce this definitive guide. It is a totally independent, non-profit organisation and exists purely to support its members.