Good Provider
2 Features
Welcome to Bulletin issue 51
CIRO Celebrates Major Double with Two Major Industry Accreditations
Welcome to the May 2023 edition of Bulletin as we celebrate two major accreditations which kicked off the year for the Institution in the most positive way .
If this is your first edition of Bulletin , welcome ! This Institution exists for its members and the rail industry , promoting best practice and representing the interests of railway operators at all levels . From area events to online courses , we hope you find yourself spoilt for choice by all the ways in which we can help you develop your knowledge and expertise .
A year of ‘ behind the scenes ’ work by the CIRO team during 2022 bore fruit in January as we received our first Ofsted rating of ‘ Good ’ for our apprenticeship provision and were added to the End-point assessment ( EPA ) organisation register after achieving Ofqual recognition , allowing us to continue EPA for the Train Driver Level 3 standard . Our Learning and Development team have been working to produce new online video-based learning depth modules , which will be available on the Rail Academy platform later in the year . The first Introduction to Rail one-day courses were held at our Stafford offices , with more planned throughout the year , as well as two three-day Operational Planning Masterclasses . Applications for academic courses have recently opened with strong cohort numbers once again expected across the Certificate , Diploma and Degree programmes .
Meanwhile , our corporate membership has continued to flourish as we proudly welcomed two new companies – Resonate and Arup , who feature later in this edition . The date for the annual Rail Ops Conference has been confirmed as the 6th of June with event details and booking instructions available from the CIRO website . Work is well underway on a new membership portal with much improved user experience and interactive features . Look out for announcements on this throughout the year , with launch scheduled for summer .
Our Awarding Organisation has been launched and has been working at a pace developing new rail sector specific qualifications , under the Royal Charter , for both infrastructure suppliers and TOCs . Our team is working closely with subject matter experts to design a range of qualifications , which will be available through participating employers later in 2023 / 24 .
Thank you for your continued support and commitment to the development of railway operations profession .
The CIRO Stafford Team
CIRO began 2023 in the most positive way with the announcement of two major industry accreditations , providing a double boost for both the Institution and industry we serve .
During January , the Institution underwent its first ever Ofsted inspection of its apprenticeship provision . Inspectors spent a week with the team , covering all aspects of the service from quality of education and training to leadership and management , behaviour and attitudes , processes and systems and safeguarding .
The result of the inspection was that CIRO has been rated as “ Good ” by Ofsted - with no conditions , to the delight of the entire team .
Annette Shipley , CIRO Joint Head of Apprenticeships commented : “ Since the inception of our apprenticeship programme in 2018 we ’ ve seen rapid growth , both in terms of apprentice numbers and the expertise of our own team . We now have a great group of professionals who work tirelessly in partnership with employers from the industry to ensure that our apprenticeship programmes create confident , decisive , succession-ready rail operations professionals . The ‘ Good ’ rating from Ofsted is a reflection of hard work from the team and a solid basis from which we can continue to build .”
CIRO ’ s Level 3 Team Leader or Supervisor , Level 4 Passenger Transport Operations Manager and Level 5 Operations or Departmental Manager apprenticeships were all assessed as part of the inspection .
The Ofsted inspection stated : “ Apprentices gain substantial knowledge , skills and behaviours as a result of their apprenticeship . They are proud of their work and talk with confidence about what they have learned and how it is improving their effectiveness in the workplace through the application of managerial techniques gained as a result of the programme . For example , apprentices on the levels 3 , 4 and 5 apprenticeships use the knowledge and skills they have learned successfully to lead and motivate their teams on issues related to compliance , safety and risk management .”
The Ofsted ‘ Good ’ rating closely follows the recent awarding of Ofqual recognition , also during January 2023 , which allowed CIRO to be added to the EPAO register and continue to offer end-point assessment ( EPA ) services . A nationwide reform of apprenticeship external quality assessment ( EQA ) set out by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education ( IfATE ), required that all EPA providers become Ofqual recognised
Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to join our growing online community of rail industry professionals . Find out about upcoming events , industry news and more .
to continue offering the service . The deadline for the Train Driver Level 3 standard , which had previously been regulated by the National Skills Academy for Rail ( NSAR ), was December 2022 . Following a rigorous review process conducted by Ofqual into CIRO ’ s practices , procedures , and resources , it has now been added to the EPAO register as of January 2023 .
CIRO ’ s Ofqual recognition means the Institution can offer an end-point assessment for the Train Driver apprenticeship standard into 2023 and beyond .
CIRO ’ s assessment techniques and resources have been developed with the input and approval of a wide range of stakeholder organisations , including the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen . By providing EPA services , CIRO hopes to keep levy funding in the industry .
Acting in a not-for-profit way has allowed CIRO to develop a cost effective , meaningful EPA for the industry whilst maintaining the highest quality .
Ellie Burrows , CIRO Chair commented : “ The timing of these two achievements couldn ’ t be better as the industry begins to pick up pace in its reformation .
“ Since the inception of our apprenticeship programme in 2018 we ’ ve seen rapid growth , both in terms of apprentice numbers and the expertise of our own team . We now have a great group of professionals who work tirelessly in partnership with employers from the industry to ensure that our apprenticeship programmes create confident , decisive , succession-ready rail operations professionals . The ‘ Good ’ rating from Ofsted is a reflection of that hard work from the team and a solid basis from which we can continue to build .”
Good Provider
‘ Chartered Institution of Railway Operators ’ @ CIRO _ UK