Training academy aligns with State of Industry Report

Rope and Sling Specialists Ltd has rebranded the RSS Training Academy to more closely align course content and delivery with industry feedback and the findings of the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association’s (LEEA) State of the Lifting Industry Report.

RSS offers a comprehensive portfolio of lifting and rigging products and training, in addition to live365 digitalisation and compliance technology. It supplies blocks, shackles, hooks, slings, harnesses, and other rigging gear – all covered by periodic Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) inspections – to some of the UK’s most notable large-scale infrastructure projects and blue chip firms.

It is a member of LEEA’s Accredited Training Scheme (ATS), which offers end-user training delivered by member companies, giving assurance of good-quality training, instructors, and facilities. LEEA ATS status is only granted to companies that demonstrate high-quality course design and materials; qualified and experienced trainers and excellent facilities and learning environment.

In LEEA’s State of the Lifting Industry Report, the importance of training and competence were outlined in stark terms; over 70% of respondents believe their firms could do more to ensure lifting operators work to the highest safety standards. The global survey revealed further critical challenges facing the lifting sector in terms of skills shortages, limited training pathways, and a lack of awareness of the industry among the next generation.

In addition to responding to the findings of the report, the new RSS Training Academy is proactively addressing feedback from lifting equipment end users, who have requested additional training on conducting pre-use checks. Building on the digitalised pre-use check system already available through RSS’s live365 portal, the Training Academy and live365 have jointly developed a new online pre-use check course. This course will be available to all RSS customers following LiftEx 2025 (18-19 November) and will be followed by a series of additional safe use modules launching in early 2026. By digitalising these training programmes, RSS aims to maximise accessibility to end users and enhance safety knowledge across the industry.

Training infrastructure

The RSS Training Academy is led by LEEA-accredited trainer, Andy Hawkins, training manager, who was a well-respected Appointed Person (AP) at international infrastructure groups, joint ventures, and other consortiums. An AP is a competent person who has the overall responsibility for planning and executing a lifting operation safely. Hawkins is once again shortlisted for LEEA’s Trainer of the Year – The Craig Morelli Award, ahead of next month’s (November) presentations.

Alongside equally experienced Ephraim Katjikuru, Hawkins delivers six different courses, including Person in Charge of Lifting Operations (PICOLO) and other programmes covering subjects such as gantry cranes, rigging, and slinging. They can be given at the company’s national network of depots or remotely at customers’ sites. The RSS Training Academy is also a specialist in creation and delivery of bespoke courseware that meets specific requirements.

Hawkins said, “I wasn’t surprised by the findings of LEEA’s report, publication of which chimed with the rebrand of the RSS Training Academy. As an AP, I thought the training I was exposed to was comprehensive, yet, I have investigated approximately 15 lifting related incidents and carried out a live rescue. Only having gained more experience and immersing myself in LEEA-accredited courses, have the limitations of my original training – and the enduring scarcity of world-class courseware more generally – became more apparent to me.”

RSS courses are, therefore, based on real-world experience, gathered from the practical, day-to-day work of crane operators, riggers, and slingers. A balance of theoretical and practical content equips trainees — each goes home with a pocket guide — and organisations with the knowledge and tools to deliver safer, smarter, lifting operations across industries. In turn, training makes people more employable and supports professional career growth.