Leaders of SME facilities management businesses are being encouraged to take advantage of a limited-time opportunity to access fully funded workplace wellbeing training for line managers.

Digital learning provider International Workplace is delivering a government-funded programme that offers 5,000 free places on the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) accredited Managing Occupational Health and Wellbeing course. The initiative is funded jointly by the Department for Health and Social Care and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) as part of wider efforts to strengthen workplace health support across England.

The programme is aimed specifically at line managers working in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), defined as organisations employing between two and 249 people. With the programme now entering its final phase, organisations have until 31 March to register their interest in taking part.

Programme details

Key aspects of the initiative include:

• Organisations can nominate any number of eligible managers to take part
• Participants must work in an SME (2–249 employees) and have responsibility for at least one team member
• Managers must not have completed the course within the past three years
• The programme will run initially as a three-month pilot, allowing the government to assess how investment in occupational health support can benefit smaller businesses over time

Why the programme has been introduced

The initiative builds on recommendations from the government’s Keep Britain Working review, which highlighted growing health and wellbeing pressures facing employers, particularly within sectors such as facilities management.

According to the DWP, many SMEs lack structured return-to-work policies or employee wellbeing support programmes, making it more difficult to retain staff and maintain a healthy, productive workforce. Strengthening line managers’ confidence in having conversations about health and wellbeing is seen as a key step in helping employees remain in work.

Smaller businesses are also considered more vulnerable to economic pressures and workforce challenges, making strong people-management skills and effective retention strategies increasingly important.

Benefits for participating organisations

Organisations that take part in the programme can expect their line managers to gain:

• Greater ability to recognise early signs of poor health at work
• Confidence to hold supportive conversations before absence occurs
• Skills to support employees with long-term or chronic health conditions
• Increased confidence when recruiting and supporting people with disabilities

By strengthening wellbeing awareness and management capability, the programme aims to help SMEs build more resilient workplaces and improve long-term workforce retention.

How to apply

Businesses interested in taking advantage of the free training can register their interest through the government’s Keep Britain Working initiative.

For organisations operating in sectors such as safety netting, access and temporary safety systems, supporting workforce wellbeing and capability remains an important part of maintaining high safety standards across the industry.