At the beginning of this month, Xact Consultancy and Training attended the Fire Safety Event at the NEC Birmingham.  This event was a great opportunity for Xact to promote the services that we offer and connect with existing and potential delegates, looking to utilise our fire safety training opportunities!  We had several staff members present during the event, including Kelly Nock (Director); Rachel Willis (Apprenticeship Manager); Martin Wordsworth (Business Consultant) and Olivia Baggott (Marketing Executive).

Day One

Upon the opening of the event, Martin was pictured speaking with potential customers about our fire safety qualifications and apprenticeships and this certainly set the tone for the rest of the event! Over the course of the course of the first day, conversations were ongoing with Xact team members speaking with potential customers, many of whom were interested in upskilling.  It was also positive to have conversations with individuals who are currently undertaking or have recently completed their fire safety qualifications with Xact.

Rachel took part in a panel discussion hosted by Women Talking Fire, discussing recruitment and retention of staff in the industry.   Throughout the course of the panel, there were many interesting points raised around the promotion of employment benefits during the recruitment process as well as meeting the needs of employees to promote retention. As well as this, Rachel highlighted the beneficial role that fire safety apprenticeships can play within the recruitment of new talent as well as retraining or upskilling staff within an organisation to support retention.

During the day we also got to catch up with Xact team members who were visiting the exhibition including Simon Gibbins and Craig Berridge.  It’s always nice to catch up with colleagues!

Day Three

A great way to close this three-day event, with lots of conversations with event contributors such as Andrea White (Women Talking Fire), housing associations and sprinkler services. On the final day, we asked our Xact team members to wrap their experience.

Kelly Nock (Director) - “The exhibition was a positive 3 full days of discussions around competency vs qualifications, fire risk assessors and much more. Throughout the day we had exciting talks about Xact apprenticeships and inspiring future generations, we were able to listen to our delegates past, present and future providing superb feedback on our tutors and highlighting feedback to assist us in continuing to develop what we do”.

Rachel Willis (Apprenticeship Manager) - “It was great to speak to so many people about fire safety courses and to hear from past delegates who now wish to progress their knowledge to the next level. It was also fantastic that so many people were interested in our apprenticeships, and I look forward to further talks with those we met over the last few days.

We would like to thank those who attended our stand to pass on condolences following the loss of Trevor. It has certainly been different doing an exhibition without him”.

Olivia Baggott (Marketing Executive) - “My first exhibition with Xact was so successful! I have really enjoyed putting all my knowledge that I have gathered since starting to good use. I have found the experience invaluable and am excited to continue the growth of our Xact community”.

Over 1000 pens and sweets later, we reached the end of the Fire Safety Event 2024. We look forward to supporting businesses and organisations to upskill their workforces with Xact qualifications and apprenticeships in the coming months. See you next year!

- Author : Nathan Box (Student, Work Experience)