How we chose
We started from the first aid trainers shown across Telford. Awarding-body and membership claims were sourced from the registers, each firm's own site and course platforms, and every trainer carries its sources on its review page [6]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and anything it must hold by law is in place. Ten trainers made the ranked table and one further firm was researched but sits outside it. What customers say counts most toward the score, then qualifications, then trading history, stated cover, pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated early September 2026.
How to hire
Start with your first aid needs assessment, which the Health and Safety Executive expects every employer to carry out [1]. The findings decide the level: emergency first aid at work, a one-day course for low-risk workplaces, or first aid at work, a three-day course covering a wider range of injuries and illness for higher-risk settings [1]. There are no fixed rules on numbers; the assessment decides whether you need trained cover, at what level and how many people to train [1].
If you care for children, look for a paediatric course whose certificate states it meets Ofsted and Early Years Foundation Stage requirements [5]. Outdoor, forest school and sports roles suit a course with stated outdoor accreditation, while construction-linked firms often want safety courses alongside first aid. Tell the trainer your setting before booking so the certificate matches the job.
There is no single compulsory register for first aid trainers, so the name behind the certificate does the talking. Look for an awarding body such as Highfield, Qualsafe Awards, QNUK or First Aid Awards, an industry body such as the First Aid Industry Body or the Association of First Aiders, or one of the three government-recognised voluntary aid societies: St John Ambulance, the British Red Cross and St Andrew's First Aid [1]. Every trainer in our table carries its sourcing on its review page, or the words Can't be sourced where nothing was found.
Check one before you pay. Search the qualification name on the Ofqual register of regulated qualifications to see whether it is officially recognised and which awarding organisation stands behind it [6]. Then ask the trainer for its centre or membership number and confirm it with the awarding body directly. Match a limited company at Companies House to confirm who you are contracting with, and read the course page for dates, venue and what the fee covers.
Choose between an open course and on-site training. Open courses run at fixed Telford venues such as the E-Innovation Centre, Meeting Point House in Southwater and the Oak Tree Centre in Lightmoor, and suit one or two staff needing certificates. On-site training at your premises suits a whole team at once and lets the trainer shape examples around your risks, which several Telford trainers offer. Compare the per-person cost both ways, including travel and staff time, before deciding.
Get the quote in writing with the course title and level, whether the certificate is regulated and what learners must attend to earn it. It should show the per-person or group price, whether VAT is added, the date, venue and start time, and the cancellation terms. Ask what happens if numbers drop below the minimum, and get the requalification route and its price confirmed at the same time.
After the course, each first aider should hold a certificate naming them, the qualification and the training organisation, valid for three years [2]. Diary every expiry and book requalification before certificates lapse, since an expired first aider no longer counts as competent cover [2]. Send first aiders on the recommended annual refresher between renewals, and file the certificates with your needs assessment where a manager can find them [2].
Pricing
As of autumn 2026, a one-day emergency first aid at work seat on an open course runs roughly £67 to £160 per person. A Shropshire chamber course in Telford lists members at £67 and non-members at £124 with VAT added on top [4], while St John Ambulance lists its one-day course from £160 [5].
The three-day first aid at work course runs roughly £220 to £335 per person, from a local trainer's listed rate to the national provider's headline price [3] [5]. The two-day requalification sits from £240, and the two-day paediatric course from £170 [5]. On-site group training at your premises is priced per course rather than per seat, so compare it once headcounts pass half a dozen.
Group size moves the price most: filling an on-site course spreads the trainer's day rate across more certificates, while single seats on open courses cost more each. Regulated qualifications with an awarding body behind them cost more than short awareness sessions, and weekend dates, travel across Shropshire and bespoke content all add. Most Telford trainers publish no prices at all, so treat any fee quoted without a course level attached as a question, not an answer.
Ask whether VAT is included, since some published rates exclude it [4], and whether the fee covers the certificate, manual and rebooking if a learner fails an assessment. Get the course level, date, venue, headcount, total fee and cancellation terms in writing before paying, and keep the invoice with the certificates.
Red flags
Names no awarding body, industry body or voluntary aid society anywhere on its site or booking page.
Cannot show a sample certificate or say plainly how long your certificate lasts.
Promises a full workplace qualification from a session lasting only a couple of hours.
Takes your payment with no date, venue, start time or cancellation terms in writing.
Quotes for paediatric or workplace cover without stating the exact qualification wording.
Hides behind a bare booking form with no address, phone number or named contact.
Presses you to pay today for a discount that expires before you can check the detail.
The bottom line
For most people, start with Positive Safety Training: regulated workplace qualifications from a Telford centre, open courses with online booking, plus on-site and e-learning routes. Its review set is small, so read the listed reviews and confirm course dates before you pay.
Match the pick to the job: Heys for established workplace training at scale, Madeleys or Halo for paediatric and childcare needs, A2E for outdoor and forest school courses, and St John Ambulance for a nationally recognised name with published prices.
Shortlist a couple of trainers, check the certificate wording matches your needs assessment, then confirm the price, venue and what the certificate covers in writing before booking.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.