IPAF Operator Training at 23 Centres Across the UK
Nationwide Platforms runs IPAF operator training from twenty-three centres spread the length of the country — from Aberdeen and Dundee down to Southampton and Taunton, taking in Wales at Cardiff and Swansea. That is the widest geographic coverage of any powered access provider on the site, which makes it the practical option wherever your team happens to be rather than wherever the nearest single centre is. PASMA tower training and manager-level MEWP training sit alongside the operator courses.
IPAF Dual 3a & 3b — all 23 centres
The Dual
IPAF Operator course — mobile scissor and mobile boom together — runs everywhere: Aberdeen, Blackburn, Bristol, Cardiff, Didcot, Dundee, Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Grays, Leeds, Leicester, Luton, Norwich, Nottingham, Rochester, Scunthorpe, Southampton, Swansea, Taunton, Uxbridge, Warrington and Wednesbury. Dual is the common booking because most sites run both machine types.
IPAF Triple 1b, 3a & 3b — 12 centres
The Triple category adds 1b static boom to the dual combination, at Bristol, Cardiff, Dundee, Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Grays, Leeds, Leicester, Southampton, Warrington and Wednesbury — half the network. Worth taking if your work includes vehicle-mounted or trailer platforms, because taking the categories together costs considerably less than returning for each one separately.
PASMA towers
PASMA Combined Low Level Access and Towers for Users at Bristol and Leicester. Towers and podiums are a separate competency from powered access — an IPAF card covers neither — so this is the one to take where the work involves both a MEWP and a tower, which on fit-out and maintenance jobs it frequently does.
MEWPs for Managers
IPAF MEWPs for Managers, delivered
live online. Aimed at those planning and supervising powered access work rather than operating machines — machine selection, ground conditions, rescue planning and the assessment that should happen before a MEWP arrives on site. Browse all
working at height courses.
Which category do I need?
The category describes the machine, not the operator. 3a is mobile vertical — scissor lifts. 3b is mobile boom — cherry pickers and articulated platforms. 1b is static boom, vehicle or trailer mounted. Check what is actually on your site before booking, because a 3a card will not cover a boom, and returning later for a second category costs more than taking both at once. The PAL card is valid for five years.
Why does manager training matter?
Most MEWP incidents trace back to decisions made before the machine arrived — wrong machine for the task, ground that could not take the loading, no rescue plan for a stranded operator. Training operators addresses how the machine is driven; training managers addresses whether it should have been there at all. The two are complementary rather than alternatives.
Finding your nearest centre
Scotland is covered from Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow; the North from Durham, Blackburn, Warrington and Leeds; the Midlands from Nottingham, Leicester, Scunthorpe and Wednesbury; the East from Norwich and Luton; London and the South East from Uxbridge, Grays, Rochester and Didcot; the South West from Bristol, Taunton and Southampton; and Wales from Cardiff and Swansea. If you need the Triple category, check the twelve-centre list above before travelling — not every site runs it.
