Equipment Matters: Creating Better Training Experiences with AERO Healthcare

In Episode 6 of Voices in VET, we're joined by Alexander from AERO Healthcare to discuss the important role equipment plays in creating engaging, realistic and effective training experiences.

While equipment is often viewed as a simple requirement for course delivery, the reality is that the right equipment can significantly influence student engagement, confidence and learning outcomes. From first aid training through to broader vocational education, quality equipment helps bridge the gap between theory and real-world application.

Throughout this episode, we discuss:

•  Why equipment matters in training environments
•  The impact equipment can have on student confidence and competence
•  The importance of realism in training
•  Industry trends and innovations in first aid equipment
•  Common considerations when selecting and maintaining training resources
•  How quality equipment can improve the student experience

Alexander also shares insights into innovations within the first aid industry, including AERO Healthcare's modular first aid kit range. Designed with colour-coded treatment modules, the system allows users to quickly identify and access the equipment they need in an emergency while simplifying restocking and ongoing maintenance.

A key takeaway from this conversation is that equipment is more than just what sits in a training room. The right setup can directly impact student confidence, engagement and how prepared someone feels to respond in a real emergency. The episode concludes by linking these concepts back to Standard 1.8 of the 2025 Standards for RTOs, which highlights the importance of ensuring facilities, resources and equipment remain suitable, current and reflective of industry practice.

Whether you're a trainer, assessor, RTO manager or compliance professional, this episode provides practical insights into one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of quality training delivery.

Learn more about AERO Healthcare: https://aerohealthcare.com/ 

Learn more about AERO Healthcare's modular first aid kit range: https://aerohealthcare.com/product-category/first-aid-kits/filled-kits/4-series-modulator/

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome to the Voices in Vet Podcast. I'm your host, Taylor Leeson, and today we're joined by Alexander Watt, Sales Director of Aero Healthcare. For over 16 years, Alexander has helped build Aero into a global force in first aid and healthcare, delivering innovative products, trusted quality, and life-saving solutions to the medical industry worldwide. Alexander, welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

Thanks, Taylor. Great to be here.

SPEAKER_02 0:19

To start, can you give us a quick overview of Aero Healthcare and the role you play in the industry?

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Yes, certainly. Thanks and thanks to all the listeners of the of the podcast. It's great to be on here. So as you mentioned, I've been at Aero for 16 years since we started back in 2000 that the business kicked off. Many in the industry would know the CEO, Tim Ovinden, who started the business in 2000. I joined the the team in uh 2010, and it's been an exciting ride from a small regional base in Armadale, New South Wales, the regional town to what it's become today, which is a as as you mentioned, what we're striving to be as a global force in first aid, employing over a hundred people, not only here in Australia but in the United Kingdom and United States as well.

SPEAKER_02 1:05

Amazing. So from your perspective, how much does the first aid equipment actually impact the quality of a course?

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Yeah, it's a very interesting question. And I think um we've recently discussed this with the with the team at NIFAT as well, is that students in training, you're you're training students uh for what they might face in the real world. And I think the more realism uh you can bring into a course, uh the better chance you you stand of giving that uh trainee that could then become a rescuer uh the chance of a successful outcome. And I think uh with the the coverage that Aero has in the first aid industry from a suppliers perspective, if you were to open up a kit in Australia, there's a high chance that it's got aero products in. So by using the Aero products in the training environment, it's getting people familiar not only with the brand but also around our packaging and how our products are made, designed for use by the lay rescuer.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

I think that really leads into our next question, which is when it comes to training, how important is it that equipment reflects real life situations?

SPEAKER_01 2:07

I think it's very important. I mean, um, as many on the podcast would be aware, there is over the last number of years, there is a the the industry's become more competitive and and probably a byproduct of that is is trainers trying to cut costs. And one of the ways of doing that, um there's not a way you can cut the cost of your time is by the products, and that is seen um uh an influx of cheaper training products, less realistic. Um you've seen products that have gone to uh non-ARTG listed products, not that ARTG listed products are required in training, but um there's been a bigger discrepancy between what people are using in training and what people will be forced to use in the event of a uh them coming across an accident or um a situation where someone needs the products that are used in first aid. Um, and that's really what I think Allen's and there are others in the industry uh are doing a good job of is really encouraging people to bring realism into the room. Yep. Yes, there's a lot of technology that can help uh in training these days, but the there's no substitute for the hands-on practice and making people feel comfortable in what can be a very uncomfortable situation.

SPEAKER_02 3:22

Yeah, definitely. Having something real also in the training environment, then when time comes, if they ever have to use it, they'll remember and it will be hopefully automatic practice that they'll remember what they did in training and then in the real life.

SPEAKER_01 3:34

Yeah, I think and it's mentioned a lot in in CPR training. A lot of us is it is it about muscle memory, and that's why people are encouraged to do CPR training uh yearly or or as frequently as possible. And I think that actually goes wider than that to the products as well.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:50

Um people are familiarising themselves with the with the CPR mask or the the bandage they use in sprains or snake bite. Yep. And when they open a kit uh they're out there in the real world uh and the heat of the moment, if that's the same product as they've used in training, that's just further reducing the stress on the rescuer.

SPEAKER_02 4:10

Yeah, it's muscle memory that kicks in then.

SPEAKER_01 4:12

100%.

SPEAKER_02 4:13

What do you think separates the high quality training equipment from just what's good enough?

SPEAKER_01 4:17

I think it it ties back into that realism, but it's also the experience of that you give the trainees in the training room. Uh I mean, we've heard of people doing CPR training on things like pillows, etc., which you might say, like CPR, any attempt is better than no attempt.

SPEAKER_00 4:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

However, um products like the Braid and Mannequin, and there are others out there as well, other brands out there as well, that help bring a greater sense of realism and it means that the person actually feels more engaged in the first aid course as well. Uh it just helps to make it something memorable for them rather than just what we so often see in the wider first aid training industry as a box-ticking exercise. I have to get my first aid certificate, I'll go along, I'll pick the cheapest course, and then likely getting the most inferior training products as well. Whereas you can create a memorable event, something that they enjoy. Yes, there is a serious element to first aid training, but we can make it memorable, and it'll also help to drive return business as well. If people remember they had an excellent experience and used uh informative and uh interactive tools, that's going to be where they want to come back to for their training.

SPEAKER_02 5:35

Having more realistic training equipment really takes the training to the next level, and like you mentioned, it makes it memorable and they'll come back again because they'll remember that realistic training that they got.

SPEAKER_01 5:44

Yeah, absolutely. And as we hear so often, we've already mentioned it how can competitive uh it is in the industry. And I think it's one of the ways we can, you might say, steer it away from a price conversation. Yes, there has to be value for money, but if you can separate yourself from the mass by using high quality, realistic and interactive training materials, I think it helps to set yourself apart and remove uh price from that conversation.

SPEAKER_02 6:09

Yeah, 100%. What are some of the common equipment mistakes you see trainers make when it comes to equipment?

SPEAKER_01 6:14

Yeah, I I don't know whether it's my place here to critique trainers um being from the the products industry, but I think in the in the training that I do every year I try and switch it up, use different trainers just to get a to feel and to stay in touch with that side of the industry. But I think there's there sometimes can be people using um probably through cost cutting and then may maybe they don't have the option or the budget to to to purchase some of these materials. But people using a crate bandage when training uh students in the treatment of of snake bite or or using products that you say may at a stretch um fit the bill, but they're not the if you were to define the correct product, it's a bit of a stretch. I think that's probably um what we see uh sometimes. But once again, who am I to critique the the first aid training industry because there's probably lots of stuff you could say about the supplies as well.

SPEAKER_02 7:06

What has Aero focused on doing differently when it comes to supporting the trainers?

SPEAKER_01 7:11

And at Aero, I mean one of our mattresses we can always do better. Our our tagline is healthcare, we make it better, but I think that speaks to its continual um one of the things as we've grown as a company is we don't want to rest on our laurels, and that obviously is a constant exercise with an Aero to continually be better. But by listening to trainers, finding out what they want, there are various products I can point to in the last few years. One of them is plus placebo inhalers, um the new masks that have come in recently where we've worked to uh bring products to market, uh and I think that's one of the things we'd encourage trainers, those listening on the podcast, many of you are already forthcoming with suggestions, but we're a feedback led organisation. Yes, we innovate as well, but if you've got a concept or something that you would like to see in the training room or a training product, bring it to us. And I think over the years we've done a good job of of bringing some of those ideas to fruition.

SPEAKER_02 8:10

Yeah, I think it's super important to that they can give the feedback and that someone's going to listen because they are on the ground and they know what they need in the classroom, what they might be lacking to take that experience to the next level.

SPEAKER_01 8:21

Trainers are in the face um of trainees all day, every day. So you guys are the uh guys and gals are the rubber on the road, for want of a better term, but I think uh that's where you might say the feedback comes from and the needs uh are arisen, and that's where a lot of our product um products come out of is that feedback that we get from trainers day to day and then from the events that that we attend uh in this market, such as the the Allen's uh professional development or uh days and uh NIFAT is another one, Australian Resuscitation Council. There are many avenues uh that we pick up feedback, but certainly uh we welcome feedback at any time or suggestions of new products you you Allen's and and the trainers that fall under the RTO umbrella, um you're the ones out there doing the work, and uh we certainly appreciate the feedback and suggestions we do get.

SPEAKER_02 9:16

Yeah. So speaking of the feedback from the trainers, what feedback are you hearing from them and what they actually need right now?

SPEAKER_01 9:23

As we've touched on already, i is is products that that meet the moment, I I think bits of feedback we get quite often is uh is around quality. Whilst people want uh competitive products, they also want products that are going to work. There's nothing worse than a trainer uh undoing a bandage in the room and it's not a full length or it's an AD trainer that the cable uh disconnects from the pads. Um they want training training courses are time bound and you're in front of people that have paid you to be there, you want the product to work. Uh, but it's also got to work uh from a financial perspective as well. As we know, uh training courses now, particularly in in cities, uh, are very competitive and with the um increase of courses online um people are able to search within minutes and find the cheapest course. Um it's gotta be something that delivers yet is cost effective.

SPEAKER_02 10:27

ARARA is a big supporter of public access to DFibs. Are there any grants or program community groups or sporting clubs should be aware of when looking at getting an AD?

SPEAKER_01 10:36

Come down to um state and territories. Um we're aware of the the New South Wales um grant that's been going for several years now uh through the state government for uh DFIBs into sporting clubs uh and schools, etc. Um obviously with the recent um legislation in South Australia mandating ADs in certain environments, um, that has also increased the coverage. But certainly it's worth investigating uh in your area. Find out often there are there are local charities um or even business groups that are looking for things to do, and then there are grants administered by the government um through taxes taken from gambling, etc., um, that are used in in getting DFIBs out there into the wider market. So would certainly encourage um as a first aid trainer you hold a unique uh particularly in the regions as well, hold a unique space where you're a trusted voice when it comes to ADs. People welcome these sort of programs and and are receptive to ideas. Even uh working together if you've got a number of businesses in an area that can make a street heart safe, um, there are various programs around the country along those lines as well. But it's around working together with your community uh and it is good for your business as well, good for your training business. If you can be seen to be a local advocate or a local voice for these programs uh and getting AEDs into the hands of the general public, um, it also increases the trust in your business and helps to to validate your your uh mission.

SPEAKER_02 12:14

Yeah, so would you recommend any trainers to go in and having a look at what's available in their state or regional territory and having a look at the grants?

SPEAKER_01 12:23

Yeah, 100%. Check out what's local, what what's been done local, and then obviously there is as wider state-based uh ones as well. Even some city councils run programs uh funding the spread of defibs into the community. So yeah, just encourage everyone to get on and check out what's local and and do what they can. Um this is not just a sales conversation. DFibs make huge impacts in local communities uh and increasing people's chance of survival.

SPEAKER_02 12:52

Yeah, we know that's the most important part about it is having a defib close by just ups the chance for someone.

SPEAKER_01 12:59

Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_02 13:00

What should everyone make sure is included in a first aid care for their home?

SPEAKER_01 13:04

Yeah, that's a a good question because I I think sometimes people uh view the workplace and home as separate environments. Yes, the risk levels are different. If you've got a heavy workshop, you might not have those risks at home. People may not have looked in their garage recently to see that there are various tools of destruction in there as well. But with legislation around the minimum requirements of first aid in a workplace means that there's a real focus on workplace. And I think sometimes that overshadows what people should have in their home. Homes are full of risks, especially for children. You've got the risks of stoves, uh burns from stoves, um, you've you've got the risk of electrical and just the general hazards that that we find around a home, stairs, um we do we have cars going up and down driveways, there are very real risks. And I think sometimes people think I can get away with just a small handbag size personal first aid kit at a home, and I think sometimes that overlooks some of the risks that are there. And so I'd encourage people to look out there. Um I mean, obviously at Aero, we have our kit range, which we think is the best. Um, we'll leave others to judge. But I think products like the modulator as well, and and any modular first aid kit for that reason um help to really demystify a first aid kit, the traditional kits of the day where you opened it up as a lay rescuer. Obviously, trained people know what they're looking for, but some of these people are opening a kit in what is the worst moment of their life, and a modular system really helps to take that guesswork away, shortens the decision process, and ultimately helps get the patient what they need uh in a faster, more efficient manner. So I think in conversations with students, it's important that yes, workplaces are unique, you've got employees coming on, you have a duty of care to care for them. But what about the home? Yeah. You've got your your mu your nearest and dearest um right there. Why wouldn't you invest what is not a large amount of money, uh a kit that you would have in a workplace?

SPEAKER_02 15:16

Yeah, I think that's actually really important and such a good point. Can you explain a little bit more about the modular kits that you mentioned, just in case if people don't know what you're actually talking about?

SPEAKER_01 15:26

So we're Aero at Aero, we've obviously been involved in the manufacture of not only kits but the products that go inside. Um and there is a traditional first day kit that everybody's familiar with, be it a softback, uh a war mount or unique to Australia, the tackle box, where the the products are placed inside. What the modulo does is is break the kit into four sections for a uh a home kit or up to six sections for a workplace kit. Um and so you'll have modules that are for burns, minor wounds, cuts and grazes, eye, and that does vary between kits. It's just around finding a ways to make the kit as simple and easy to use as possible and taking the guesswork out of the lay rescuer. I think some of us that live and breathe first aid every day forget that first aid is for the masses and it's for the general public to be able to render assistance. Um and so anything we can do to take that take it from what people sometimes think is something daunting and trying to lower the temperature of it and say you have a powerful tool in your hands, like a D Fib. A first aid kit is a powerful tool in the hands. Obviously, we want everyone to get training, that's not always going to be the case. Uh, and I think modular systems just help to take the guesswork out of it, are are an easier kit to manage as well, make sure everything's in date.

SPEAKER_02 16:51

Yeah, it sounds like it's a lot easier that some you can open it up and see exactly what you need if it's for a burn and pull that out instead of having to dig around and try and find what you would need for a burn. It takes a few seconds out of something that's going to be a lot easier. They can just grab the one thing that they need.

SPEAKER_01 17:07

Yeah, and I think uh even an interesting exercise is to do uh in your training courses is to open a traditional style first aid kit and ask someone to find the gauze swab or the wound dressing and look at the period of confusion they go through while they look at these um items that a lot of them look the same to the untrained eye. Um that's one of the things we we try to do at Aero is to base our packaging around the lay rescuer. So someone that might be opening the kit for the first time, have colour differentiation, and then clearly state on the packaging what that product is for. Is it for cuts and grazes or burns or um minor grazes, insect bites, etc.

SPEAKER_02 17:49

Yeah, sounds like a great product.

SPEAKER_01 17:51

That's what we try and do.

SPEAKER_02 17:52

Before we wrap up, if trainers remember one thing from this conversation, what should it be about using the right equipment for safe and realistic and compliant training?

SPEAKER_01 18:00

I think probably the main thing is is to realise that as a trainer you're you're in a powerful position. Th these people, yes, as we've talked about, there are a certain amount of people that come along uh to a first aid course to tick a box. Um what if we turn that around and say, yes, they came here to tick a box, but you as the trainer are in a powerful position where you can put them through your training and engaging with them uh in the way you train and then the products you use so that when faced with a crisis, that person has the decision making ability that they learnt in your classroom to change the outcome of someone's ultimately someone's life. Yes, not all injuries that we deal with in first aid, the vast majority aren't life threatening, but there are. We know the tens of thousands that suffer from cardiac arrest every year, uh not in such high numbers, but the increasing um sadly uh violence that we see on our streets, stabbings, um w as as you know, here in Australia this year, uh terrorism incidences where these people that are faced uh are the general public. They are not all paramedics, um nurses, doctors, and through your training you can have a very real impact on the outcome of of the people in those scenarios.

SPEAKER_02 19:27

Yeah, I think that's a really important message for everyone to remember. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

SPEAKER_01 19:32

Oh, I'd just like to thank you for the opportunity um for being on here, Taylor, and to the wider Allen's team. Uh the job you do is is a great one. Um, and the the people that have been trained under your RTO now hundreds of thousands, if not millions, within Australia. And it's been a great partnership that Aero's enjoyed with Alans over the years. I remember myself driving into Golburn, generally cold and dreary uh early in the morning and meeting um Jim, Alan, and the rest of the team out there next to the golf course, um, to now where you are today, is is something you should be proud of. And I think there's a lot of synergies between Allen's and Aero, the journey we've been on, both started in uh small regional, somewhat unknown um towns in Australia to what they are today is is uh significant organisations, and we're proud of what we've done. Um Alan should be very proud of what we're what they've done, and we're proud of what we've accomplished together. And to the trainers out there all day, every day. I don't know what it's like to be in your shoes, but it's an admirable uh task you take on, and I think one of the things we'd encourage you to do by listening to the podcasts like this, you're investing your time, um, and there are other events. We've mentioned the Alan's Professional Days, Knife At, etc. Um, there are ways you can help yourself um bring uh more value to your students, and that can be time and it can be money, um and I guess it leads to the products as well. You can invest um in products as well to to bring value to your students and realism, and I just encourage each one of you the training can seem like it's a day in, day out, as with any job. Um dealing with people can be challenging, but uh through investing your time into these sort of uh podcasts and events, um, it helps you and it helps your students, and it helps the person lying there on the pavement or suffering from a cardiac arrest, um, because that's what we're all here for, is to reduce preventable deaths.

SPEAKER_02 21:38

Alexander, thank you so much for your kind words. I know everyone on the Allen's team really values the partnership we have with Aero. We also can't wait to catch up with you at NIFAC.

SPEAKER_01 21:47

Yep, really looking forward to it. Seeing you in Adelaide later this year and uh the next Allen's conference. It's an awesome opportunity for us to get out there and and see everyone, um, hear the changes that are happening within the industry and bring what we're we're trying to do to do our bit to make it better.

SPEAKER_02 22:02

Yeah, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. We will leave links in the description so people can go and have a look at some of the aero products and the modular that we did mention. But thank you again for joining us.

SPEAKER_01 22:13

Much appreciated.

SPEAKER_02 22:14

Today's conversation highlighted just how important equipment is in delivering safe, engaging, and realistic training for students. Understanding 1.8 of the 2025 standards, there is a strong focus on making sure facilities, resources, and equipment are suitable, current, and reflective of the real industry practice. It's clear that this is an area trainers and RTOs need to continue prioritizing. At Allen's training, this is something that has had a major focus through the training desk system, including equipment registers, trainer evidence requirements, and internal checks before courses are delivered, helping support both compliance and quality student outcomes. A big takeaway from today is that equipment is more than just what's sitting in the training room. The right setup can directly impact students' confidence, engagement, and how prepared someone feels to respond in a real life emergency situation. Thank you for listening to Voices in Vet and we'll see you on the next episode.