Category: Awards & Certifications

Advance TRS is a proud member of the SME Climate Hub, a global initiative that empowers small to medium sized companies to take climate action and build more resilient businesses. Through the SME Climate Hub, we commit to lowering our impact on the environment through authentic action, halving our emissions by 2030. In making the commitment, we have joined the United Nations Race to Zero campaign.

At Advance TRS Ltd., we are dedicated to making a positive impact on the environment and are committed to taking meaningful actions to address climate change. Our commitment is grounded in a set of specific goals and milestones that reflect our dedication to sustainability. By adhering to the following targets, we strive to contribute to a more sustainable future:

SME Climate Hub Membership: We have joined the SME Climate Hub, a global initiative that aligns small and medium-sized enterprises with the goals of the Paris Agreement. By doing so, we commit to actively participate in collaborative efforts to mitigate climate change and foster sustainable practices within our operations.

Signed the Climate Pledge by December 2024: By December 2024, Advance TRS Ltd. commits to signing the Climate Pledge, signaling our commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions and actively working towards a sustainable and resilient future. This pledge reinforces our dedication to environmental stewardship and aligns us with global efforts to combat climate change.

Set Science-Based Targets by December 2024: We recognize the importance of sciencebased targets in driving meaningful change. By December 2024, Advance TRS Ltd. will establish and communicate science-based targets, ensuring that our emissions reduction goals are in line with what is necessary to limit global temperature rise and contribute to a low-carbon economy.

Archived ISO14001 Certification by December 2025: Environmental management is a cornerstone of our sustainability efforts. By December 2025, we commit to achieving and maintaining ISO14001 certification, demonstrating our commitment to systematically managing our environmental impact and continuously improving our environmental performance.

Achieved Carbon Neutral Status by December 2027: We understand the urgency of addressing climate change, and by December 2027, we aspire to achieve Carbon Neutral Status. Through a combination of emissions reduction measures and offsetting initiatives, we aim to balance our carbon footprint, contributing to the global effort to stabilize and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

As members of the Supply Chain Sustainability School, we are working through online learning resources surrounding various sustainability, offsite, BIM, lean and management topics relevant to the built environment to further our company and staff knowledge. Our team are able to gain CPD points by attending training workshops, networking events or completing e-learning modules.

Find out more about our memberships, professional accreditations and certifications or our commitment to delivering our service responsibly.

Our Rail & Client Director Sam Jennings has been nominated for the RailStaff charity award! Due to his brilliant work throughout the year, he went that extra mile to raise awareness and has been a vital part of raising over an amazing £85,000 for Charity at Advance TRS.

Please show your support for Sam and his continuing efforts by voting for him on the RailStaff Award website.

RailStaff awards will be shutting their voting panel on the 16th of October, so we ask you kindly to cast your votes in as soon as you can!

Ella Gardiner, Marketing Director shares Sam’s dedication to charity work and impact on the Company:

“Sam has been an active member of the Advance TRS team promoting our values and taking on personal challenges to raise money and awareness for charities. Previously Sam completed the London Marathon raising over £2,500 for Action for Children. He has also taken part in Movember, Macmillian Coffee Mornings, our Advance TRS Golf Day for Rail Aid, and the numerous walking and triathlon challenges we have completed as a business. Since joining the business 8 years ago Sam has played a key role in raising over £65,000 in total for various charities”

This October, Sam will be taking part in Railway Children’s Ride Vietnam Challenge. As a novice cyclist, Sam will be confronting a challenging 450km cycle across 7 days in 30 degrees, on a (barely used) bike!

Sam Jennings progresses in his training for Railway Children’s Ride Vietnam Challenge

So far Sam has completed over 500 miles of training in the saddle, with 340 miles traveled through a very hot July! There is a lot of water, sun cream, and only the one puncture to date to report as Sam hits the halfway mark on his donations target and only 2 months to go! In the next few weeks, Sam faces a step up in training with 100 miles a week to complete.

The trip itself will see Sam spend between six and eight hours in the saddle each day, traveling across waterways and plantations on unpaved and dusty roads, slightly different surfaces to the hills he will be training on but all part of the challenge for a true bike novice!

“Having never previously ridden a bike without balancing a child on the back, it seemed like a great opportunity to take on a huge personal challenge and raise money that will go to support some of the most vulnerable children in the world”

Shares Sam Jennings

Sam is fundraising for his Railway Children’s Ride Vietnam Challenge . We are just 7% away from reaching our target of £3500! We are extremely grateful for any donations towards reaching our goals for such an excellent cause, for this occurrence, and for all previous fundraising events throughout the year!

More About Railway Children:

Children run away or are forced to leave homes where they suffer poverty, violence, abuse, and neglect. They find themselves living on the streets because there is nowhere else to go and nobody to turn to. Railway Children work to reach children as soon as they arrive on the streets and intervene before an abuser can.

We’re delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted for the Perkbox Workplace Culture Awards, which recognise the businesses who go above and beyond to ensure employees are happy in their work-life balance. 

Please vote for us in the medium-sized category of the awards

As recruiters we really understand that talented and motivated staff is the key to any successful business and creating a fantastic working environment is one of our top priorities. 

The positive mental health and wellbeing of our colleagues are of high importance to our board and senior management team and we have therefore committed significant time as a business to ensure all employees feel supported and can access help.

We have appointed two trained Mental Health First Aiders and provide a Wellbeing Hub on our Intranet, offering impartial and confidential support via a 24-hour counselling helpline. We also run quarterly Workshops with all staff to increase general awareness, explaining what support is available and highlighting different methods of self-help or wellness techniques for everyday living.

The comprehensive benefits and rewards package we offer to our staff includes a private company pension scheme, a premium-free Group Private Medical Insurance plan and access to our exciting perks and discounts platform facilitated by Perkbox, amongst other things. 

To find out more about Advance TRS and what our colleagues think, watch this short video or take a look at our website.

If you want to take the next step in your career look no further, Advance TRS are hiring! We are always looking for talented and motivated individuals, as part of our business’s strategic talent acquisition programme. Whether you are an entrepreneurial individual, established recruitment team or small businesses with shared values, we would love to hear from you.

If you are interested in joining Advance TRS’s recruitment teams or business support staff in our Port Solent or Guildford offices, contact Paul Metcalfe for a discrete conversation on 07793 55 413 or apply online.

Advance TRS are delighted to be shortlisted as Finalists in the Property Management Awards 2019 for the Recruitment Company of the Year Award.

The team are delighted to be recognised for their dedication to delivering premium quality recruitment solutions to their clients and candidates alike.

Our property services recruitment experts have first-hand experience within the sector, where they gained the very best knowledge of the roles they recruit for and the challenges clients and candidates face. This first-hand experience allows us to fully qualify our candidates, ensuring they only put forward the very best calibre.

Group Founder and Managing Director, Andy Ridout explains;

“The team is committed to finding only the best candidates for our clients and ensure they are carefully qualified and suitable for the relevant role. I’m absolutely delighted to see the team’s hard work and efforts recognised in the Property Management Awards shortlist.”

The rapidly growing recruitment company, specialising in the provision of highly-skilled technical professionals for the built environment employs some of the industry’s most experienced professionals and MD Andy plans to more than double the workforce in the next couple of years and open offices in further locations.

Whilst continuing to grow and improve the business, Advance TRS maintain committed to providing excellent customer service to both candidates and clients alike. With business development plans firmly rooted in our five Core Values of Quality, Commitment, Integrity, Honesty and Loyalty, Advance TRS aims to continue this pattern of growth whilst maintaining our strong reputation as dependable, effective and honest.

“Advance TRS’ success has proven that hard work and a dedication to delivering excellent service pays off” Andy explains.

“Now, the team and I continue to be more motivated than ever and are excited for what the future brings.”

If you’re a driven individual who likes to contribute to their brand’s success then we’d love to hear from you. Advance TRS is growing quickly, so we are always looking for new people to join the team. If you are interested to find out more about our current opportunities, visit our website or for a discrete conversation, contact Paul Metcalfe, Advance TRS CEO on 07793 554 413 or email pme@advance-trs.com.

Technical recruitment agency Advance TRS are delighted to be shortlisted as Finalists in the Solent Business Awards 2019 for the Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing Award. 

As a recruitment business operating within the built environment our employees, contractors and client contracts are working in, statistically, some of the most challenging and stress-inducing environments.

Group Founder and Managing Director, Andy Ridout explains;

“We take our duty of care seriously, investing heavily in building awareness of Mental Health to best support staff and contractors to spot signs of difficulty in themselves and others and ensuring they have the support they need to get help. I’m delighted to see these efforts recognised in the Solent Business Awards shortlist.”

The rapidly growing recruitment company opened offices on the South Coast in 2018, headed up by Water & Infrastructure Director Rob Kelly, formerly of Matchtech. The South Coast office, with views over the sea, is Advance TRS’s latest addition as part of the company’s overall acquisition and expansion strategy and has already grown rapidly, employing more people from the local area. 

Our Marketing & Development Manager, Ella Gardiner champions the business’s Employee Engagement and Wellbeing programme and acts as a go-to person for anyone in the business seeking advice or guidance on how to access further support, or who simply needs to speak to a listening ear. As our Mental Health First Aider, Ella is there to listen to employees, offer support and signpost to methods of self-help or professional support services.

“As we start out in our journey of promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing as a business, this acknowledgement of the work, time and money we have invested so far in our team is really exciting” explains Ella. 

To find out more about Advance TRS’s Mental Health & Wellbeing programme follow us on social media or visit the Advance Advice blog.

If you are looking for a new move in your career look no further, Advance TRS are hiring! We are always looking for talented and motivated individuals, as part of our business’s strategic talent acquisition programme. Whether you are an entrepreneurial individual, established recruitment team or small businesses with shared values, we would love to hear from you.

If you are interested in joining Advance TRS’s recruitment teams or business support staff in our Port Solent or Guildford offices, contact Paul Metcalfe for a discrete conversation on 07793 55 413 or apply online at www.advance-trs.com.

Click here to view our CV tips and Click here to download our FREE CV template.

We are delighted to announce that for the fourth year running, Advance TRS have successfully passed the Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS) Audit and retained the 5 star status.

Our compliance team work tirelessly all year round to ensure we follow best practice at all times and that all our processes and procedures are current. This latest accreditation recognises our ongoing commitment to excellence in all our systems and procedures.

Working in a number of safety critical engineering sectors, we have a robust compliance management system that is structured with very clear processes and procedures. This system has been developed to deliver the ongoing management of individual competencies held by external workers, as well as supporting the requirements of each industry sector’s specific standards and scheme requirements.

This compliance procedure incorporates a bespoke database that highlights renewals of qualifications, supplier certificates and competencies. The continued management of this area of our business is essential when supplying workers to industries where safety is foremost in everyone’s daily working lives.

“RISQS is the single entry point for suppliers to the rail industry and as a ‘5 Star’ RISQS accredited supplier to the rail industry, we believe that we all have a responsibility to deliver a professional service that meets continues to achieve and exceed the industry standards” explains Group Operations Director Paul Merton.

“This is a fantastic achievement and we are immensely proud of the whole team who work hard all year round to maintain our trademark top quality service.”

We are delighted to announce that Advance TRS has passed the ISO 27001 audit, a certificate issued by a UKAS accredited certification body, ACS Registrars.

ISO 27001 is a certification for an information security management system (ISMS).

In line with the new GDPR guidelines, we are extremely proud to have passed this audit to show that we handle personal data on a professional level.

The benefits of ISO 27001

Implementing an information security management system provides us with a system that will help to eliminate or minimise the risk of a security breach, that could have legal or business continuity implications.

An effective ISO 27001 information security management system (ISMS) provides a management framework of policies and procedures that will keep your information secure, whatever the format.

By establishing and maintaining a documented system of controls and management, risks can be identified and reduced.

Achieving ISO 27001 certification shows that we have:

  • Protected information from getting into unauthorised hands
  • Ensured information is accurate and can only be modified by authorised users
  • Assessed the risks and mitigated the impact of a breach
  • Been independently assessed to an international standard based on industry best practices

ISO 27001 certification demonstrates that we have identified the risks, assessed the implications and put in place systemised controls to limit any damage to our organisation.

Benefits include:

  • Increased reliability and security of systems and information
  • Improved customer and business partner confidence
  • Increased business resilience
  • Alignment with customer requirements
  • Improved management processes and integration with corporate risk strategies

Achieving ISO 27001 is not a guarantee that information breaches will never occur, however by having a robust system in place, risks will be reduced and disruption and costs kept to a minimum.

We would like to say a big well done to our team for all their efforts towards being able to achieve this accreditation!

To see our latest Rail, Construction, Water, Utilities or Property jobs, click here.

We are delighted that our Property Services Director, Alan Durrant has been featured in News on the Block’s Hot 100 List 2018.

The Annual Hot 100 List, published by Property Services Sectors leading publication, details the leading individuals working in the Property Services Sector.

Since establishing, Advance TRS’s Property Services division has grown from strength to strength. This is largely due to sector Director Alan’s singular commitment to delivering top quality customer service. Our growing Property Services team all have previous experience working within the sector they now recruit for. These personal experiences of the roles, give them a full understanding of the experience, skills and personality traits required for success in the industry.

Alan Durrant, Director Property Services

Alan’s experience in recruitment and as a Property Manager brings him to the top of his game. He quickly identifies the best candidates for any role by understanding exactly what both the clients and candidates need. Testimonials prove he is a polite, hard-working, skilled communicator and acts with the utmost professionalism. He is extremely informative, reliable and has a personable approach. No problem is ever too much and he always gives 100% service.

Get your hands on the special Hot 100 feature from News On The Block and check out our latest Property Services Vacancies online here.

We are thrilled to announce that Advance TRS have taken home both awards in which we were shortlisted for at the Toast Of Surrey Awards last week! The awards took place at Mercedes-Benz World In Weybridge, starting off with dinner and drinks, followed by the awards. It was a brilliant evening and the team were left celebrating until the early hours of the morning!

We are a Surrey based company with a head office in central Guildford, who started off recruiting in the Rail Industry 6 years ago and now pride ourselves in being specialist recruiters in Rail, Water & Utilities, Property, and Construction.

Our leadership team is extremely important to the company. Andy Ridout started the company on his own, and we now have six Board Directors, four Sales Directors and seven Senior Management Team. A very rapid growth which has given us many opportunities throughout the company as the expertise of every director and manager has driven us to grow as a whole company.

We are always on the lookout for the right people to join our team and to support our business and help it to thrive. Our consultants are expertly trained and have extensive experience in sourcing and managing contract workers and permanent recruitment. We also support our employees with qualifications and training and have our own in-house Training and Development Director.

We have some great company-wide incentives in order to attract and retain the very best staff and we have a comprehensive staff benefits and rewards package including, uncapped commission, pension scheme, premium free group private medical insurance plan, perks and discounts platform facilitated by Perkbox including things such as free coffee, cheaper cinema ticket, free phone insurance, discounts at high street and online shops and restaurants and many more. We like to celebrate success and have company activities and drinks when we hit targets and hit milestones, this is often Bowling followed by drinks at our local independently run bar. We like to celebrate big when we achieve quarterly targets and have been power-bating down the Thames, Junkyard Golf, Climbing the O2 and Airhop to date!

If you are interested in joining Surreys Employer of the Year, please contact our Internal Recruitment Manager, Neil,  nw@advance-trs.com or use the contact us page by clicking here.

We are delighted to announce that Advance TRS have been shortlisted as Finalists for the Toast of Surrey Business Awards in two categories; Employer of the Year and Leadership Team of the Year!

The Toast of Surrey Business Awards aim to celebrate success, recognise achievement and highlight the innovative people and companies throughout Surrey who are putting their region on the map by boosting the economy while making a positive contribution to the local community.

Employer of the Year

As a recruitment business ourselves, we understand just how important it is to find the right people to grow your business. With this in mind, we are always on the lookout for the right people to support our business to thrive. Our core values, commitment to quality customer service and company culture is extremely important to our team, from the bottom up, so the cultural fit is an essential element of our recruitment process.

In order to attract and retain the very best staff, Advance TRS have a comprehensive staff benefits and rewards package. To name a few, we offer an uncapped commission scheme, a private company pension scheme matching employee contributions up to 3%, access to medical and life insurances and access to our exciting perks and discounts platform including things such as discounted cinema tickets, free coffees, free phone insurance and discounts at hundreds of restaurants and high street stores.

We believe in rewarding the whole team when the sales team succeed, which is why we take the whole team out for joint celebrations when we hit big targets, often bowling followed by drinks in our local independently run bar. When we hit quarterly and yearly targets, the whole business heads out for a celebration. These are usually held on an afternoon and they have included activities like climbing the O2, power-boating down the Thames, Junkyard Golf and Airhop.

We also have a Summer conference every year which gives the directors a chance to update the whole business on new developments, business growth plans and successes from the year and also includes a fun team building element in the afternoon.

We have a Christmas Party every December. In previous years these have been held at local venues including Mercedes Benz World, G Live and the Mandolay Hotel to name a few. The party includes an all expenses paid meal, drinks and live entertainment.

Every Friday all staff are invited to join directors in our local bar for a round of drinks on the business. This is a great opportunity to build relationships in different parts of the business that you may not work so closely with and is a great way to blow off steam from a busy week!

Leadership Team of the Year

Over the past 6 years, the company and Board of Directors has grown rapidly and the senior management team has welcomed an Operations Director, Head of Training and Development, Non-Executive Director and most recently a new Chief Executive Officer working alongside the Finance Director and Founder/Managing Director, Andy Ridout. We have expanded into new sectors more recently and we also now have Directors for each sector that we recruit in. These Include a Rail Director, Water and Utilities Director, Property Services Director and an Infrastructure Director. We also have a key management team, including a Marketing Manager, Compliance Manager, Group Accounts Manager and an Accounts Manager and an Administration Manager, who all make up our management and senior management team.

Andy Ridout, Founder and Managing Director says “I am incredibly proud and thrilled that Advance TRS has been recognised for all the hard work and commitment it invests in both its staff and clients alike.”

Andy leads the company to strive for the top and has always had as a priority, the recruitment of the best people to allow the company to Advance. He has built an exceptional team of consultants who, having benefited from his experience and work ethos are fast becoming well-known for their own highly respected recruitment capabilities.

We understand that talented and motivated staff are key to any successful business. To help our team become the best they can be, we provide invaluable mentoring through our Training and Development Director, who works with each employee to establish bespoke development plans and sets clear objectives to support each team member to excel.

The team will be attending the Awards Presentation at Mercedes Benz World on Wednesday 27th June. It will be a celebration of the county’s best companies and a reminder that Surrey is a great place to do business.

These are the aspects of the business that we believe have enabled us to be shortlisted for these Toast of Surrey Business Awards and we are very much looking forward to meeting lots of other successful businesses on the night of the presentations.

Pick up your copy of the Surrey Mirror this Thursday 14th June to see full details on all the finalists!

Our Water Team at Advance TRS attended the Water Industry Achievement Awards at The Vox Conference Centre in Birmingham on Monday 21st May.

This event is a great occasion where all of the water companies come together to celebrate all the achievements in the water industry over the last year, with the opportunity to enter your own company for different categories to prove that you are the best in that area. The categories covered all areas including Customer Service, Drainage and Flood Prevention, Energy and Carbon, Water resilience, Engineering Projects, Most innovative use of an existing technology, Most Innovative New Technology of the year and so on. Of course, there were some overall awards which were Water Company of the year and Water Industry Contractor of the Year. There was a record-breaking number of entries and you can see the full list of winners here.

The awards night consisted of a drinks reception from 7pm followed by a 3 course meal and the awards. We sat with representatives from Severn Trent Water and a partner of theirs, Malvern Panalytical who were jointly nominated for an award – which they won! Congratulations to them and all of the winners! The night ended with a charity casino followed by drinks at the bar until the early hours of the morning.

This event was a brilliant opportunity to see this industry link together to celebrate all of it’s amazing achievements over the last year and to see how much hard work goes into each part of the water industry. It’s an excellent networking event and an all round great evening.

The team also went to Utility Week Live the next day which was at the NEC in Birmingham. This event includes a hall of company stands within the utilities industry, including green energy, utility providers, tech companies and various equipment manufacturers and more. The chance to explore the opportunities and threats of disruptive technologies and business models and of course, networking with 3,000+ utility industry colleagues and contacts. There was ongoing seminars for all the sectors and these along with the Keynote Speakers were also very interesting and it was brilliant to meet some of the VIPs of the day.

These two days were great for our Water Team and it was all very enjoyable and a great way to do some team bonding. We hope to catch up with the new people and companies that we met soon!

We are delighted to announce that for the third year running Advance TRS has successfully passed the Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS) Audit and retained the 5 star status with no observations, no non-conformances and top marks in all areas.

Our compliance team work tirelessly all year round to ensure we follow best practice at all times and that all our processes and procedures are current. This latest accreditation recognises our ongoing commitment to excellence in all our systems and procedures.

Working in a number of safety critical engineering sectors, we have a robust compliance management system that is structured with very clear processes and procedures. This system has been developed to deliver the ongoing management of individual competencies held by external workers, as well as supporting the requirements of each industry sector’s specific standards and scheme requirements.

This compliance procedure incorporates a bespoke database that highlights renewals of qualifications, supplier certificates and competencies. The continued management of this area of our business is essential when supplying workers to industries where safety is foremost in everyone’s daily working lives.

“RISQS is the single entry point for suppliers to the rail industry and as a ‘5 Star’ RISQS accredited supplier to the rail industry, we believe that we all have a responsibility to deliver a professional service that meets continues to achieve and exceed the industry standards” explains Group Managing Director Andy Ridout.

“This is a fantastic achievement and we are immensely proud of the whole team who work hard all year round to maintain our trademark top quality service.”

The industry’s fastest growing recruitment company Advance-TRS collected the High Growth Award and were selected as Overall Winner of the SME Surrey Business Awards at an Awards Dinner in Epsom on Wednesday night.

The Surrey-based company has achieved phenomenal growth in their first 5 years and were thrilled to be unanimously voted winners of the ‘Enterprise M3 Growth Hub – High Growth Award’ by a panel of local business leaders and chosen as the Overall Winner on the night.

“Winning the High Growth Award was a fantastic achievement recognising the whole team’s hard work over the past 5 years. To be chosen as the Overall Winner of the SME Awards in such a vibrant region for business is a huge compliment and really was the cherry on top of a fantastic evening” said Group Managing Director Andy Ridout.

In the last year alone the company has nearly doubled in size, expanding their admin, finance, marketing, compliance and sales teams. In order to accommodate this extraordinary growth, the team recently celebrated an office expansion which has nearly doubled their office space, spanning two large floors in central Guildford.

All of this has been achieved whilst maintaining a singular dedication to excellent customer service. Following a collaborative consultation process with directors and staff, the company’s Core Values of Quality, Commitment, Integrity, Honesty and Loyalty were rolled out at this year’s Annual Summer Conference.

With business development plans firmly rooted in these five principles, Advance-TRS aims to continue this pattern of growth whilst maintaining their strong reputation as dependable, effective and honest.

Advance-TRS’s high standards have also been recognised by a number of awards and qualifications, operating ISO 9001 certification, the world’s most popular quality management system, achieving OHSAS 18001, the internationally recognised hallmark for occupational health and safety management best practice and placing as a finalist in the coveted Recruitment Excellence category at the 2016 UK Rail Industry Awards.

“Together, we can all advance.”

We are delighted to announce Advance-TRS have been shortlisted as finalists for the Enterprise M3 Growth Hub High Growth Award in this year’s SME Surrey Business Awards.

“This nomination is a fantastic recognition of the whole team’s commitment and drive to succeed which has enabled the business to grow at such an exceptional rate over the past 5 years. I am so proud of the whole team who have made this amazing growth possible” explains Advance-TRS Group Managing Director, Andy Ridout.

Be part of our success by searching our latest vacancies, or contact us for more information on how we can help your business find the right staff.

“Together we can all advance”

Advance Training & Recruitment Services has been shortlisted as one of five finalists for the ‘Recruitment Excellence’ award at this year’s UK Rail Industry Awards.

Advance Training & Recruitment Services is a specialist niche provider of talented rail professionals to some of the UK’s biggest infrastructure companies. Advance-TRS offer a specialist and tailored recruitment service, utilising expert consultants within a number of key disciplines from signalling and telecommunications, to permanent way and electrification.

Over the last 12 months, the rail recruitment consultancy has grown at a phenomenal pace. Year-on-year, contract revenue has grown 55% whilst permanent revenue has seen a rise of more than 48% in the same period. In that time, Advance has achieved preferred supplier status with a number of new clients across the industry and has helped hundreds of talented rail professionals find work on some of the UK’s biggest projects, including Crossrail and the National Electrification Programme.

Following the large increase in turnover, Advance was inducted into the Recruitment International Top 500; an annual report of the UK’s highest grossing recruitment companies. The increased demand from clients has prompted a large-scale recruitment campaign for talented recruiters and aspiring resourcers, with the company having even hired an internal recruiter to help cope with the burgeoning demand.

The consultancy has also gone above and beyond in its commitment to improving the operations behind the scenes. In June Advance became ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001 accredited following many months of stringent reviews into their policies, procedures and objectives. After a rigorous audit, the consultancy also became a fully qualified member of the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), a recruitment trade body that prides itself on representing companies on the frontier of recruitment excellence.

Managing Director of Advance-TRS, Andy Ridout is delighted with the shortlisting. “This nomination is a testament to the solidarity, commitment and hard work that our team has put in over the last 12 months. Their efforts have seen us catapulted into becoming one of the UK’s fastest growing recruitment companies and I’m thrilled to see their efforts being formally recognised at such a prestigious awards show.”

The winners will be announced at the 2016 UK Rail Industry Awards on 11th February 2016 at the Battersea Evolution.

“Together, we can all advance.”

Rail recruitment specialists, Advance Training & Recruitment Services have successfully achieved ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001 certification; a major milestone for the consultancy.

Almost a year’s worth of hard work has been put into the development of the company’s policies and procedures in order to continually improve the service and value offered to its clients and candidates.

ISO 9001 is the globally recognised hallmark for robust quality management systems, designed to help organisations successfully meet the needs of their various stakeholders. The certification signifies a responsibility for providing outstanding business practices, excellent customer service and improved operational performance.

OHSAS 18001 is a framework for occupational health and safety management systems which exhibits Advance-TRS’ continued focus on workplace health & safety. This accreditation certifies that Advance-TRS has a system in place to fully identify and control health and safety risks in the workplace; reducing the potential for future accidents and illnesses whilst demonstrating due diligence to its clients.

“We are delighted to have been awarded ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001 certification after months of hard work from everyone here at Advance-TRS. We are always looking for ways in which to further develop and improve our service offering to both our candidates and clients and these awards will go a long way to demonstrating that,” says Operations Director, Paul Merton.

“Our team is dedicated to providing a first-class recruitment service and these awards will help formalise the ‘client-first’ approach that we are so proud to offer.”

Carried out by ACS Registrars, one of the UK’s premier certification bodies, the extensive assessment required Advance-TRS to pass a stringent review of their policies, procedures and processes.

In the last year, Advance-TRS also successfully achieved a maximum 4-star RISQS accreditation and became a fully-audited member of APSCo, the Association of Professional Staffing Companies. These accreditations illustrate the importance advance-TRS puts on safety and compliance, whilst ensuring they remain at the forefront of recruitment excellence.

“It’s a really exciting time for Advance-TRS given our extraordinary growth over the last few years and the strides we are making in improving what goes on behind the scenes,” says Merton.

“Together, we can all advance.”

Advance-TRS are delighted to be sponsoring this year’s UK Rail Industry Awards taking place on 19th February 2015.

Held at London’s prestigious Battersea Evolution, the UK Rail Industry Awards is an annual gathering of the UK’s top decision makers, aimed at celebrating the efforts and achievements of the rail industry throughout 2014.

Hosted by comedian Miles Jupp, with keynote speaker Peter Wilkinson, Managing Director – Passenger Services, Rail Executive at the Department for Transport; this year’s event is expected to draw an audience of more than 1000 guests.

“The UK Rail Industry Awards has fast become a staple in the rail industry calendar and is a fantastic occasion to recognise and reward the outstanding work that goes into all aspects of the rail industry,” says Managing Director, Andy Ridout. “We are very proud to sponsor such an important event and look forward to the night’s festivities.”

Andy is one of the evening’s speakers and is using the opportunity to raise awareness for his upcoming Mount Everest Base Camp trek in aid of Railway Children. The Everest Base Camp trek is just one of three fundraising challenges Andy is undertaking in 2015, for more information visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AndyRidout

The UK Rail Industry Awards kick off on the 19th February 2015 at the Battersea Evolution. For more information, visit www.ukria.com

Advance Training & Recruitment Services, the rail industry’s recruitment experts, are proud to have achieved Achilles RISQS certification (formerly known as Link-Up), enabling the consultancy to supply the rail industry with skilled engineers and construction contractors.

RISQS is the rail industry’s supplier registration and qualification scheme. Suppliers are required to undergo a rigorous pre-qualification and auditing process, qualifying them to more than a hundred industry buyers including Network Rail and Transport for London (TfL).

Advance-TRS were awarded a 4-star passing grade by Achilles, the highest possible grade for an organisation in the primary year of the new audit scheme. Now in it’s fourth year of trading, the Surrey-based rail recruitment consultancy turns over in excess of £7 million per year and employs an experienced team of 15 staff.

“This is an excellent achievement for the company in a year where both the RISQS and Rail Sentinel schemes have undergone significant changes” says Operations Director, Paul Merton. “We were delighted to have become members of APSCo earlier in 2014 and we now move into 2015 with a robust focus on operational safety and compliance with an aim to have achieved ISO 9001 and ISO 18001 accreditation by the end of the first quarter.”

We are proud to announce that Advance-TRS’ very own Daniel Forth-Rumley and Andy Ridout have been selected as finalists at this year’s RailStaff Awards.

Daniel Forth-Rumley has been shortlisted for the Recruiter of the Year award for his efforts in supplying engineers to multiple projects on the National Electrification Programme. Since taking over the electrification, permanent way and civils desk 6 months ago, Daniel has made incredible strides for his clients and candidates, placing more than 15 skilled electrification engineers in a discipline that is facing a 10-fold staff shortage.

Meanwhile, Andy Ridout, Managing Director of Advance-TRS has been nominated for the ‘Dave Maidment Award for Charity’ by Dave Ellis, Corporate Partnerships Manager at esteemed children’s charity Railway Children.

Andy’s nomination is a result of the continued fundraising, awareness and new corporate relationships that he has generated for Railway Children over the last few years. In September 2013, Andy famously took part in an Ironman triathlon, raising and incredible £12,777 for the children’s charity. This year, he teamed up with Operations Director, Paul Merton to take on the first stage of the Tour de France in Yorkshire raising a further £745.

Advance Training & Recruitment Services has also been nominated by one of its contractors for the ‘Best Rail Professional Recruitment Company’ accolade at the RailStaff Awards’ sister competition, the Railway People Awards. Click here to nominate Advance-TRS today.

The RailStaff Awards kick off on the 25th of October. The best of luck goes out to Daniel, Andy and the rest of this year’s finalists.

Advance Training & Recruitment Services, the recruitment specialists for the rail industry, are pleased to announce that they have been awarded membership to APSCo – the Association of Professional Staffing Companies.

APSCo is the trade body dedicated to representing the interests of UK-based recruitment organisations. They offer industry insights and business intelligence on top of providing a cohesive voice on behalf of its members, in response to forthcoming legislation and European Union directives.

A lengthy and rigorous auditing process which demands the highest standards is required to become an APSCo member, necessitating the provision of detailed financial information, references from clients and candidates as well as an acceptance of APSCo’s strict code of practice.

Advance-TRS’ APSCo membership is a badge of quality, ensuring that both candidates and clients alike are represented by an organisation on the frontier of recruitment excellence.

“We are always looking at ways of increasing our value proposition to both our clients and candidates.” says Paul Merton, Operations Director at advance Training & Recruitment Services.

“Our membership with APSCo will enable us to strengthen our competitive advantages with access to vital business information and market research, whilst providing us with that seal of quality which will prove invaluable for years to come.”

To find out more about how we can work alongside your business to facilitate your recruitment needs, call advance Training & Recruitment Services today on 01483 361 061

This is an award for an Individual with collaboration or acumen to achieve initiatives which benefit the industry. They will have had a significant impact over the course of last year and will have demonstrated longer term success in HR, Recruitment or Training and the Rail industry as a whole which will resonate for many years.

The person could demonstrate:
•    Effective communication at all levels
•    Evidence of going that extra mile
•    Delivery of innovative  initiatives
•    Role model behaviours
•    Efficiency and effectiveness at the heart of everything they do
•    Thorough understanding of Rail today and be future focussed

Click here to nominate or view the worthy candidates.

This is an award for an iIndividual with collaboration or acumen to achieve initiatives which benefit the industry. They will have had a significant impact over the course of last year and will have demonstrated longer term success in HR, recruitment or training and the rail industry as a whole which will resonate for many years.

The person could demonstrate:

  • Effective communication at all levels
  • Evidence of going that extra mile
  • Delivery of innovative  initiatives
  • Role model behaviours
  • Efficiency and effectiveness at the heart of everything they do
  • Thorough understanding of Rail today and be future focussed

Click here to nominate or view the worthy candidates.

Andy Ridout, Managing Director of niche railway recruitment company, Advance-TRS has been recognised for his services to recruitment through a nomination for RailStaff’s Recruiter of the Year awards.

Chris Darlow, Operations Director at Rail – Kelly Integrated Transport Services Ltd commented;

“It is with great pleasure that I nominate Andy Ridout for the recruiter of the year award 2012. I have known Andy for a long time and have no doubt that his commitment and dedication to the rail industry over his 16-year long career has been second to none.”

Andy started out as a young Trainee Recruitment consultant to a large agency; there, he quickly worked his way up to Director Level where he specialised in Signalling and remained the company’s top consultant for over fourteen years.

After countless recruitment campaigns for the majority of the UK’s rail organisations, Andy finally took the big decision to set up his own international railway recruitment firm and in August 2011 launched Advance-TRS.

After twelve months, a colossal amount of hard work and very long hours, Advance-TRS are now recognised as experts in supplying the complete range of permanent and contract, blue and white collar staff throughout the industry and have grown from a two man band to employing twelve full-time members of staff, this in the midst of a recession that has impacted the entire globe.

Despite a very hectic work schedule, Andy enjoys nothing more than spending time with his partner and three children who are the inspiration for his latest campaign; in August next year Andy will be attempting Dartmoor’s ‘Xtreme  Ironman’, in the hope of raise £10,000 for Railway Children. The amazing cause is very close to Andy’s heart and supports over 11 million children who are homeless and abused throughout the UK, India and East Africa. To raise as much awareness as possible, Andy is planning on attending various rail seminars, exhibitions and events throughout the UK and overseas over the coming months.

‘Over the past five years I have worked closely with Andy on many staffing projects and can only praise his conduct, attention to detail honesty and integrity,’ Chris Darlow went on to say. ‘He is someone who always goes out of his way to make himself available to anyone in need of his help or advice, a quality that he clearly expresses to his team and accounts for their outstanding performance. A quick look at the testimonials on his LinkedIn profile page.

To support Andy on his venture to help Railway Children take a look at his Virgin Money Giving page