Refresher Training – What it is and why it's important

Maintaining the highest standards of food safety and hygiene isn't just about regulatory compliance and ensuring you're producing food that is safe for consumption—it's essential for protecting your business.

Whilst initial training ensures staff understand principles and processes relevant to their roles and the importance of their effective application, refresher training plays a critical role in ensuring standards are maintained.

In a nutshell, refresher training reinforces essential knowledge, bridges any gaps that have emerged over time, and brings you up to speed with new legislation, procedures, or technologies.

According to UK food industry standards and Food Standards Agency guidance, refresher training should be undertaken every three years, especially for those working in technical, management, or food safety roles. Moreover, regular refresher training is a required element for BRCGS audits and those of many major retailers.

Verner Wheelock's Refresher Courses

As a trusted training provider to the food industry for 35 years, Verner Wheelock offers a range of refresher courses to meet industry needs and legal requirements. All are completed in a single day, bringing your knowledge and training fully up-to-date. The majority can be undertaken remotely if preferred, so you don't even need to travel. Plus, there's also the option of in-house training for several employees at once.

Food Safety Update Course (classroom or remote attendance)

This course is ideal for anyone holding a Level 3 or 4 Food Safety qualification. It provides vital updates on changes to legislation, food safety risks, and control measures. Areas covered include recalls, food defence, legislation, food poisoning statistics and current trends. The recent work of the National Food Crime Unit, Food Standards Agency strategies, and an overview of updates to third-party certification schemes are also examined. Learn more about our Food Safety Update Course.

HACCP Refresher Course (classroom or remote attendance)

Designed for those who've previously completed Level 3 or 4 HACCP training, our HACCP refresher is essential for keeping your HACCP systems effective and compliant. As well as covering the HACCP principles and their application, the course recaps how to design a HACCP plan, hazard analysis methodology, identification of CCPs, monitoring procedures, validation and verification, CCP decision trees, and the importance of maintenance and review of HACCP plans and procedures. Learn more about our HACCP Refresher Course.

Auditing Refresher Course (classroom or remote attendance)

Perfect for internal, supplier or third-party auditors, this comprehensive refresher course updates auditing skills in line with current standards and expectations. All aspects of the audit process are revisited such as planning, preparation, conducting an effective audit, how to write a well-structured audit report and audit follow-up techniques. This course is endorsed by FDQ and carries a short multiple-choice exam. Learn more about our Auditing Refresher Course.

Trainer Skills Refresher Course (classroom attendance only)

Aimed at anyone responsible for delivering in-house training, this highly interactive refresher improves presentation and communication skills. It updates participants on new methods of training and training aids to ensure that your presentations or coaching sessions remain engaging and effective. In addition, guidance on managing difficult training scenarios, tailoring your approach to suit different learning styles, and assessing the effectiveness of your training is provided by our experienced trainer. Learn more about our Trainer Skills Refresher Course.

Benefits of Regular Refresher Training

Refreshing your knowledge every three years has several benefits. Firstly, it helps to ensure compliance with legislation. More than that, it helps maintain good food manufacturing practices, which in turn leads to improved audit outcomes.

Refresher and update training helps you to keep abreast of new food safety risks, evolving customer expectations, and updated legislation. It also demonstrates a commitment to staff development.

Making Refresher Training Part of Your Culture

Get into the habit of scheduling refresher training three years after the initial training has taken place, rather than waiting until an audit is looming. Keep training records so that auditors can see that regular refresher training is being undertaken. Choose a training provider, like Verner Wheelock, where the trainers have several years' food industry and training experience.

If it's been three years or more since your last qualification, visit vwa.co.uk to view upcoming course dates or contact Claire Lennon on 01756 700802 or claire.lennon@vwa.co.uk to arrange in-house training tailored to your needs.