Following the success of the Practical Leadership Programme (PLP) that Benchmark delivers to supervisory grades across Network Rail, the Company has now been selected to deliver an innovative programme of practical leadership training to Network Rail’s team leader community.  The programme will begin in early January with training delivered at selected Network Rail sites in the Western and Anglia Routes.  In a further demonstration of their developing partnership, the training will be delivered by a combined Network Rail and Benchmark team using a modularised approach to maximise value for money and return on investment.  The training will be led by Chris Gilham.

Southeastern has selected Benchmark Training to deliver Service Disruption training to 2,000 of its front-line station and on-board staff.  The training will commence on 10 January 2012, run throughout the Winter and will be delivered at Southeastern sites as close as possible to a delegate’s place of work.  The training programme is a further extension of a suite of initiatives being implemented by Southeastern to further improve the quality of passenger information particularly during disruptive events. Southeastern is drawing upon Benchmark’s expertise in this key area with the Company having previously delivered two similar programmes for Network Rail.  The training programme will be led by Russell Brierley.

This month marks a significant milestone in the continuing life of the Practical Leadership Programme (PLP) as Network Rail and Benchmark jointly celebrate the 100th running of this highly acclaimed and successful behavioural change training programme.  Commencing in September 2009, the PLP has become synonymous with Benchmark’s leading-edge delivery of behavioural change training for managers, supervisors and team leaders throughout Network Rail and the railway group more generally.  The training continues to have a positive and marked impact upon workplace behaviour and Network Rail judge the return on investment for Benchmark’s programme to be a remarkable 7:1 for the 1,000 plus delegates that have attended to-date. Benchmark provide delegates with a range of clever and intuitive tools and techniques to improve their leadership skills in Network Rail’s quest for sustainable improvements to safety and performance across the network.  The focus of the PLP is on introducing and then practicing and re-practising leadership skills using a range of stimulating and challenging practical tasks.  The feedback from the delegates remains exceptionally strong  with one delegate describing the course as  ‘the best I have ever attended in forty years on the railway’.  Strong testament indeed that underlines the ongoing success of this remarkable programme.

Benchmark has been selected by Network Rail to deliver a suite of integrated incident recovery courses at its training facility at Moreton in Marsh in the Cotswolds.  The training will bring together staff from  a diverse range of functions across the Network Rail community for whom responding safely and effectively to any form of rail disruption is a key part of their operational role. 

 Starting in October 2011, delegates from Network Rail’s Western Route area will have the opportunity to work together in both contextualised and non-contextualised environments to develop and practice the key procedures and methods for returning the railway to normal running following an incident that disrupts the timetable. The training is fully action-centred and makes best use of practical exercises that incorporate fast moving scenarios that are as close to the live railway as possible.

Benchmark Training Ltd has been selected by Balfour Beatty Rail to deliver the next stage of their ongoing Site Management of the Future (SMOF) programme. 
The key focus of this new programme of courses is the practical application of the leadership and management theory that graduates of the SMOF programme have already completed.  The 3 day course is designed to be almost exclusively ‘applied’ in nature with minimal time spent in the classroom.  The site managers will learn through practical leadership skills training, subsequent review of their performance and through reflection just what the impact of their leadership and management approach is in the workplace.
The training programme starts in mid-September and will take place at Benchmark’s training facility located in the heart of the Cotswolds.  The training will utilise the unique training facilities offered by Benchmark including use of the full-size railway to contextualise some of the learning.  Site managers will develop not only their leadership skills but also their ability to conduct effective assessments when faced with challenging situations, leading to informed and confident decision making.

Benchmark is pleased to announce that it has recently won the contract to deliver a new programme of learning and development to Network Rail’s next generation of Rail Incident Officers.  Network Rail has decided to take a partnership approach to the new programme with Benchmark providing the behavioural learning aspects of the training and Network Rail providing the skills training.  The new course is a significant departure from previous training with the emphasis now fully on the use of action-centred learning to practice and hone the skills-set required to perform the complex and difficult duties associated with this key railway role.

The new programme makes full use of practical scenarios to fully assess and challenge delegates in a realistic environment using Benchmark’s railway training facility and also involving other key railway assets such as the British Transport Police, fire-fighters and train operating company staff.

In November 2010, twenty-four work-site supervisors from Babcock Rail attended the first Benchmark Supervisor Leadership Training Course (SLC) designed to provide delegates with the practical leadership skills required to successfully lead renewals and maintenance teams delivering services across the rail infrastructure.
The question, as ever, is did the training make a difference?  To find out, on 24 February 2011, Babcock Rail ran an Impact Day to identify the course legacy in terms of delegate’s attitudes, behaviours and performance.  The overwhelming view from delegates was that there had been significant improvements across all three areas and particularly in the way that work was being planned.  Work planning has been improved through a standardised and collaborative approach to problem solving and this in turn has created a greater sense of ‘buy-in’ from the team members.  Much improved planning has also enabled better delegation.  This, in turn, has meant that Babcock Rail work-site supervisors are able to stand back more to objectively evaluate progress, identify areas requiring attention, actively look ahead to assess and plan for the next stage of the operation and provide a genuine supervisory service to everyone operating within the work site.
Andy Musgrove – Operations Manager at Peterborough recounted a key event resulting from the training;
“A couple of weeks after the course, one of my supervisors made a decision on-site that saved enough money to pay for not only his place on the course but for all of his colleagues as well.  I know that he would not have done that without the training– that is a great return on investment!  The Supervisor Leadership Training has taught my team the value of standing back and assessing all of the factors before making a decision, not only that but it has also given them the confidence to make those key decisions when it counts”.
A course delegate also summed up the changes being witnessed across the supervisor group;
“Prior to the course I was set in my ways, I have changed – we have all changed”.
Babcock have now announced further courses later this year and the coaching for performance improvement programme is now being rolled out to more of the staff.  We look forward to the improvements that they will bring to the work place in the months that follow.

Benchmark is delighted to announce that it has been awarded a place on the Highways Agency three year Training Framework Contract for the Traffic Officer Service.  The company has been selected as a preferred supplier in four areas of work: training design and delivery; organisational development; learning innovation and evaluation and is very much looking  forward to building a long-term relationship with the Highways Agency and with the Traffic Learning Centre to delivering a series of high quality and exceptional value for money learning and development services to the Traffic Officer Service.