ECITB launches inclusive PPE e-learning in collaboration with Women's Engineering Society

The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) has released two e-learning modules on correctly fitting personal protective equipment (PPE), developed in collaboration with the Women's Engineering Society (WES) and announced on 8 October 2026.

The modules, titled PPE: Right Fit. Real Protection, are aimed at workers in high-hazard engineering construction environments. They sit on the ECITB's Learning Experience Platform within the ECITB World "ecosystem", which the training board said carries content written specifically for engineering construction workers.

Each is a micro e-learning course, known as an ECITB World Toolbox Talk, taking about 10 minutes to complete, the ECITB said.

Mat Parker, Head of Careers and Inclusion at the ECITB, said: "correctly fitting inclusive PPE is not about providing different standards for different people. It is about ensuring everyone receives the same level of protection that allows them to work safely and effectively."

The two modules

The first Toolbox Talk, Wearing and using PPE, is for employees, technicians and operational supervisors. According to the ECITB, it covers correct fit and compatibility, prescribed pre-use checks, recognising when PPE is no longer suitable and speaking up about concerns.

The second, Providing and managing PPE, is for managers, system-owning supervisors, procurement, stores, HR and administrators. It covers the organisational decisions behind PPE selection, provision, review and continual improvement.

The ECITB said both modules are designed to raise awareness rather than develop technical PPE competence, and use practical engineering construction scenarios. The training introduces inclusive PPE as recognised good practice, on the basis that different people may need different sizes, designs or adjustments to achieve the required level of protection.

Parker said the modules would help people understand that suitable PPE protects the individual, not the average worker, and that correct fit is a safety requirement rather than a comfort preference.

WES involvement

WES, which describes itself as the largest UK network of women engineers, reviewed the initial proposal for the training and provided industry insights through its WES Safety Forum, the ECITB said.

Susan Robson, CEO of WES, said the society's research among apprentices had found "they were increasingly feeling a good sense of belonging at work, but at the same time were not being given well-fitting PPE, i.e. they felt safe at work, but are not actually being kept safe at work."

The society has campaigned for inclusive PPE since 2009, according to its reports page. Its 2024 PPE survey found 62% of women had experienced PPE that did not fit properly, and concluded that ill-fitting PPE affects comfort, safety and confidence.

WES's apprentice report, published in March 2026, found 87% of women apprentices felt supported in their role, 74% were satisfied with their apprenticeship and 66% felt optimistic about their future in engineering.

The ECITB said the e-learning forms part of its work promoting diversity of thought and cultivating inclusion in the industry.

Background

The Personal Protective Equipment at Work (Amendment) Regulations 2022, which amended the 1992 regulations, have applied since 6 April 2022, according to the Health and Safety Executive.

The modules deliver on an intention the ECITB set out when it launched ECITB World. Chris Mann, ECITB Director of Learning and Assurance, said at the time that the board aimed to deliver shorter, focused learning on topics including PPE, lead awareness and fire extinguisher use. The ECITB said such content, typically five to 10 minutes long, could be developed quickly in response to industry needs.

The Learning Experience Platform provides free online learning for all in-scope engineering construction employers, giving them access to more than 8,500 courses, according to the ECITB. In 2024, 45,667 courses were completed by 23,160 users, which the board said delivered £1.55m in value-add to industry, up from 10,089 completions by 6,148 users in the platform's first year.

In November 2025 the ECITB's partnership with OpenSesame on the platform won a gold award at the Learning Technologies Awards. ECITB-developed e-learning is also available free to out-of-scope organisations through ECITB EXPLORE.

The ECITB is an arm's-length body of the UK Government reporting to the Department for Work and Pensions, and is funded through a statutory training levy on the industries it serves.

What happens next

The PPE training is initially available only to in-scope employers. The ECITB said it hopes to roll it out to the wider industry in future, and Robson said WES would continue the conversation with colleagues across the sector through its Safety Forum.