RIA marks first anniversary of rail training arm supporting skills and work winning

Credit: The Railway Industry Association (RIA)

The Railway Industry Association (RIA) celebrated the first anniversary of RIA Training Services yesterday, marking a year since the launch of its dedicated rail training arm supporting skills development and commercial capability across the UK rail supply chain.

Launched to provide industry focused learning, RIA Training Services delivers courses aimed at inducting new entrants into rail while helping organisations improve their ability to win work. Over the past 12 months, more than 100 learners have completed the flagship courses Introduction to the UK Railway Industry and Supply Chain and Work Winning in the UK Railway Industry.

Both courses are endorsed by the National Skills Academy for Rail, reflecting their relevance and quality. Due to strong demand, RIA has expanded its offer to include bespoke on site training, allowing courses to be delivered directly at customer premises for group sessions.

Fiona Broomfield, programme lead for RIA Training Services and Member Relations Manager, said the response since launch has been extremely positive. She noted that reaching the first anniversary was an important milestone and thanked learners for completing the courses with open and collaborative mindsets. Looking ahead, RIA confirmed it has a full programme of courses scheduled in London and Leeds, alongside the on site delivery option, and invited ideas for future courses to further strengthen skills across the supply chain.

The first bespoke introductory course was delivered last month to learners from Telent Technology Services in Warwick. Cathy McEwan, Rail Team Administrator at Telent, highlighted the value of the training, praising the engaging delivery, strong audience participation and the networking opportunities provided through RIA.

Over the past year, RIA also formed three training partnerships with RailSTAR, Tilt Consulting and Comet. These partnerships offer reciprocal discounts for RIA members and partner customers, supporting wider access to learning. RIA Training Services courses are delivered by experienced railway specialists, offering practical knowledge that can be applied directly within organisations and individual careers.