New QQI Certification Requirements for Forklift Instructors.

What forklift instructors and employers need to know about the HSA certification requirements for trainers. Forklift safety is a critical responsibility for every business operating industrial trucks, such as Counterbalance and Reach Forktrucks.

Ensuring operators are properly trained and competent is essential, but it is equally important to ensure that the people delivering that training are suitably training.

The Health and Safety Authority’s (HSA) Code of Practice: Safe Use of Industrial Trucks was introduced in September 2025. This sets out requirements relating to forklift operator training and instructor competence. You have until March 2027 to meet these requirements.

The code specifies the QQI Level 6 Special Purpose Award in Training and Development award (6S3372). This is in addition to the existing required competence and accreditations on the forklift types you intend to teach. You now have a short timeframe left to train and certify your existing forklift instructors to gain their 6S3372 accreditation.

What is QQI 6S3372?

QQI 6S3372 is a Level 6 Special Purpose Award in Training and Development, carrying 30 credits on Ireland’s National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). Commonly known as a Train the Trainer qualification, it develops the knowledge and skills required to plan, deliver and evaluate effective training.

The award consists of two component awards:

• Training Needs Identification and Design (6N3325)

  Covers adult learning styles, identifying training needs, establishing learning objectives and designing structured training programmes.

• Training Delivery and Evaluation (6N3326)

  Focuses on delivering effective and engaging training, ensuring that the knowledge, skills and competencies are transferred, communicating with learners, assessing learning, providing formative feedback and evaluating training outcomes.

Together, these component awards help your instructors are confident in how to structure training, support different learning needs, measure performance and establish whether learning objectives have been achieved.

These skills are particularly relevant to forklift instructors. Delivering effective training involves more than demonstrating how to operate a truck. Instructors must communicate safety procedures clearly, identify unsafe practices, assess practical performance and determine whether trainees have achieved the required standard of competence.

6S3372 – A Requirement for Forklift Instructors

The HSA's Code of Practice: Safe Use of Industrial Trucks specifies the 6S3372 qualification for instructors delivering counterbalance and reach truck operator training.

The Code of Practice provides practical guidance on compliance with Irish workplace health and safety law and can be admissible as evidence in relevant court proceedings under section 61 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.

Employers also have legal duties to provide appropriate training, instruction and supervision and to ensure that forklift operations are managed safely.

6S3372 is a training qualification. It is not a standard forklift instructor certificate such as QQI 5N5851 and 5N5832 referenced in the Code of Practice for Counterbalance and Reach Fortrucks.

What does the March 2027 deadline mean?

The HSA's published guidance identifies 12 March 2027 as the deadline associated with the transition to the new instructor qualification requirements for relevant counterbalance and reach truck training.

Instructors who do not yet hold 6S3372 should review the applicable HSA guidance and establish what steps they need to take to meet the requirements.

For employers and training providers, this is an opportunity to review existing arrangements, verify instructor qualifications and identify any gaps well in advance.

It can take up to 6 months to gain the qualification so acting now is important. Waiting until the deadline could put unnecessary pressure on training schedules and business operations.

Reviewing qualifications now gives organisations time to plan training, maintain records and support instructors in achieving the required award.

How can Professional Development help?

At Professional Development, we deliver the QQI Level 6 Special Purpose Award in Training and Development (6S3372) for individuals who want to develop their training skills and gain a recognised qualification.

Whether you are an experienced forklift instructor looking to formalise your training knowledge or an employer reviewing your training arrangements, our course can help you develop the skills needed to plan, deliver and evaluate effective training.

Prepare now rather than leaving it until the deadline. Contact Professional Development to find out more about our QQI 6S3372 course, upcoming training opportunities and how we can help you take the next step in your professional development.

To enquire about the QQI Level 6 Special Purpose Award in Training and Development (6S3372) you can call us directly at Freephone 1800 910 810 or Dublin 01 861 0700. Alternatively, get in touch online using the buttons below.

This article is intended as general information and should not be treated as legal advice. Employers and training providers should consult the current HSA guidance to confirm the requirements applicable to their circumstances.