Training frequently asked questions

We provide a wide range of pharmaceutical training courses covering manufacturing, medicine distribution and biopharma. Externally accredited with the RSC and CQI, our courses can be delivered through tutor-led online sessions, in a physical classroom setting, in-house or through self-paced eLearning.

We also offer bespoke courses if you cannot find what you are looking for. Please contact us (via bookings@rssl.com or +44 (0)118 918 4000) and we will be happy to help.

Yes. We have embraced the latest technology to deliver highly interactive courses that offer breakout rooms, chat, video and file sharing capabilities. Refined during the pandemic, our online delivery format has been so popular that we have decided to continue to offer it as an option for each of our courses alongside our traditional classroom delivery.

Head across to our in-house course page to learn more. Alternatively, please reach out to our training team via bookings@rssl.com or +44 (0)118 918 4000 who will be happy to help.

Yes, we are more than happy to welcome delegates from all over the world. Our online courses are particularly popular with international attendees.

All we request is that you have a good understanding of written and spoken English so that you can get the most from the session. If you wish to attend a classroom-based course, please also check any visa requirements before booking your travel to the UK.

Places will be available for you to book unless it states ‘Full’ next to your chosen course. When this occurs, we operate a waiting list service. If you wish to be placed on a waiting list for a course that is full, please email bookings@rssl.com. We will be in touch if a place becomes available.

Yes, we welcome bookings from self-sponsoring individuals. Once your booking has come through to us, we will ask you to complete a new customer form and provide a scanned copy of photographic ID. This is so we can create an account for you and raise an invoice.

Simply select the card of the course you wish to attend (including the date) from our website. Then use the option ‘Add to basket’.

In order to do this, you need to first register yourself on our booking system by selecting the course you wish to book your colleagues / employees onto. Then:

• Add the number of people you wish to book onto the course
• If you are booking for colleagues / employees, register yourself as the booker  
• Add the details of those you wish to book for

You will receive an automated email confirming your booking details. Once we have confirmed the course is running (normally 10 days before the start date), you will receive another email, confirming the final course details. If the course is to be held virtually, the online registration and joining instructions will also be included.

We offer a number of different discounts for individuals and organisations. To learn more about these, please check our special offers page.

If for any reason you are unable to log in please contact us at bookings@rssl.com or +44 (0)118 918 4000 and we will be more than happy to help you.

If you would like to cancel your booking you will need to contact us as soon as possible via bookings@rssl.com.

Please note:

• A full refund will be given where written cancellations are received 25 working days before the start date of the course
• A fee of 50% will be payable for cancellations received between 10 and 25 working days before the start date of the course
• Full course fees will be charged for cancellations received within 10 working days of the course start date

Some courses do have prerequisites. These will be documented in the course information on our website. Please review the course description to ensure that the course you would like to attend meets your expectations in terms of your objectives and depth of information. If you aren’t sure once reading through the course information, contact our training team (bookings@rssl.com or +44 (0)118 918 4000) and they will be more than happy to discuss your requirements.

It is very helpful to have some background knowledge of good distribution practice (GDP) before attending our Cogent Approved Gold Standard responsible person course, as the course has a knowledge test at the end of the course. So whilst the GDP course is not a prerequisite to being able to attend the RP course, it is advised upon depending on the level of knowledge you currently have.

There are two GDP course options, our 1 Day Online Tutor led GDP course or our eLearning GDP course. Either option will provide a good level of understanding of GDP.

Our classroom courses are fully catered, and we provide all refreshments. If you have any special dietary requirements, please enter these into the ‘dietary requirements’ field when creating your account & booking.

Online - Most of our online courses begin at 9:00am, although there some courses that start earlier. Please check your course confirmation email to verify what time your course starts. We ask that you log-on at least 15 minutes prior to the start time to make sure that any technical difficulties can be solved prior to the session starting.

Classroom – Registration, as well as welcome coffee / tea, is from 9.00am on the first day of a classroom-based course. The session will then commence at 9.30am. If a course runs for longer than a day, the following days may start at 9.00am. The tutor will advise you of this. Finishing times differ depending on the course you are attending. If you need an exact finishing time to allow for travel arrangements, please contact us.

When attending a classroom course, we would suggest smart casual however it is important that you feel comfortable throughout the duration of your training course therefore, please come dressed as you feel appropriate to make the most of your training.

The course location is displayed next to the specific course date on our website. Examples of our regular venues are below but please check your course booking confirmation email for details of your specific course.

All of the venues we use have accommodation available in or nearby. Please click on your relevant venue from the list below:

• Barnstaple - Venue Details
• Bicester - Venue Details
• Birmingham- Venue Details
• Cookham - Venue Details
• Edinburgh - Venue Details
• Manchester - Venue Details
• Reading - Venue Details

Occasionally we may need to cancel or postpone a course. We will send you a final confirmation email approximately 10 days prior to the course commencement, once we know final numbers. We advise not to book non-refundable travel or accommodation before this confirmation is received.

Yes, some of our courses require you to complete some pre-course work, as well as having homework between training days. Any pre-work required will be detailed in the course confirmation email, which is sent 14 to 10 days prior to the training.

Yes, someone else from you company can attend in your place, but you must notify us as soon as possible via bookings@rssl.com and we will then be able to amend your booking free of charge.

All of the prices for our open/public courses are published on our website. The pricing for in-house courses (courses run at your site) are based on the number of delegates and duration. Please contact our Training Team (bookings@rssl.com or +44 (0)118 918 4000) who will be happy to discuss your requirements.

You can select your method of payment in the last stage of the check out process. You can select to pay by card or by invoice. Selecting to pay by invoice will prompt an invoice to be sent out to you approximately four weeks prior to the course. You can then pay by cheque, credit / debit card, purchase order (PO) or through BACS transfer.

If you are paying by PO, please ensure a copy is sent to purchaseorders@rssl.com or bookings@rssl.com as soon as your booking has been made to ensure the invoice is raised with the correct information.

If you have booked the course in advance, you will receive your invoice approximately 30 days prior to your course start date. 

Accommodation is not included in any of our course prices, with the exception of our IRCA QMS lead auditor courses, which are residential courses.

Yes, certificates of attendance are issued after we have received payment in full for the course. If you have not received your certificate, please contact your own finance department to confirm if they have sent payment to us. All certificates are issued electronically – we do not send out any by post.

The courses are held at CIM Cookham CIM Moor Hall Conference Centre, Cookham, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 9QH. The Conference Centre has ample free parking and is only a short distance from Cookham train station.

To find out about any prerequisites, please refer to the "who should attend" section on the course information webpage. If you have further questions, please contact our Training Team (bookings@rssl.com or +44 (0)118 918 4000) who will be happy to provide further details about the course.