Assetco Regulatory News (ASTO)

23 Apr 2008 07:01

AssetCo PLC23 April 2008 For Immediate Release 23 April 2008 AssetCo plc Awarded Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) Approved Centre Status AssetCo plc is please to announce that it has been awarded Approved Centrestatus by the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA). The approved training and assessment centre is headed by Jeff Ord CBE, ManagingDirector of AssetCo's Emergency Resource business. It provides the skills andrequisite management and quality assurance processes required in order to offerWorkplace Assessor (A1), Internal Verification (V1), and other awards for alltypes of UK vocational fire fighting qualifications, including Operation in theCommunity (level 3 fire fighting) and Watch Manager status. The Centre is headquartered at AssetCo's Training and Business Support ServicesCentre of Excellence in Ireland which is jointly supported by EnterpriseIreland. Internal verification at the Centre and future satellite assessmentfacilities will be managed by Centre Co-ordinator, Jim Robson, previously Headof the Scottish Fire Services College, and an external verifier for SQA in allfire and rescue service qualifications and for OCR for learning, development andmanagement. John Shannon, Chief Executive Officer, AssetCo plc said. "This award demonstrates that the skills and systems we have in place toregister, administer, assess and certify candidates are to the highest UKstandards. For our Fire and Rescue (FRS) clients in the UK and overseas it meanswe can provide a service either at the Centre or in their own workplace whichenables them to quickly, efficiently and cost effectively develop, train andqualify candidates at a pace few would be independently able to achieve. It alsoprovides a means by which they can continuously maintain and refresh the skillsof their people to ensure qualifications are current and to the latest standard- a significant benefit when faced with the considerable costs associated withsetting up and maintaining their own in-house approved centre." For further information please contact: AssetCo plcSue Alsop Tel: +44 (0) 7870 270840 Buchanan Communications Tel: +44 (0) 20 7466 5000Isabel Podda Notes for editors: International Rescue Instructors Authority (IRIA) (www.iria.org). Higgins and Langley Memorial Awards in Swift Water Rescue (http://higginsandlangley.org/mediarelease.shtml About AssetCo (www.assetco.com) AssetCo plc, (AIM : ASTO), is a leading providerof outsourced and managed support services to the emergency and homelandsecurities markets in Great Britain and Northern Ireland and emerging marketsoverseas. The company employs some 860 people in 12 locations. Subsidiaries of AssetCo plc include: AssetCo Emergency Limited AssetCo Group LimitedPapworth Specialist Vehicles Limited AS Fire and Rescue LimitedCollins Youldon FSE LimitedTodd Research Limited BlueAmberRed LimitedSimentra Limited AssetCo Emergency Resource LimitedAES Group UV Modular LimitedThe Vehicle Application Centre RIG Systems Limited This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange