There will be no Europlatform conference this year, owing to ongoing uncertainty around international travel and large gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic.

The first wave of apprentices on a new route to certifying specialist MEWP technicians have been celebrated by representatives of IPAF as they embarked on their studies at North Warwickshire & South Leicestershire College.

IPAF’s Competent Assessed Person (CAP) programme has been developed and adapted to meet demand from operatives in the MCWP and construction hoist sector.

Sustainability, digitisation and adopting exciting new technologies are all key to building back better from the coronavirus pandemic, according to presenters at this year’s IPAF Summit, hosted for the first time as a virtual event owing to the global health crisis.

More than 900 industry professionals from no fewer than 66 different countries around the world joined the first-ever digital edition of the International Awards for Powered Access (IAPAs), with prize-winners announced during the IPAF Summit, originally planned for London in April 2020, but postponed and then moved online owing to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

This year’s IPAF Summit, hosted for the first time ever as a global virtual event on 18 March 2021, from 3pm GMT, will focus on sustainability, digitisation and the challenges and opportunities facing powered access as the world emerges from the pandemic.

The next in a series of free online workshops and webinars hosted IPAF will look at the importance of selecting the correct MEWP for the job to enable work to be carried out safely and effectively. The webinar will be broadcast on 24 March at 12pm GMT.

IPAF’s new digital operator app called ePAL for users of MEWP and MCWP equipment will be a game-changer for worksite safety and efficiency, as well as sustainability.