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ARL: Training to learn - Helping your trainees to succeed during training

Posted on 16th March 2020

The UK rail industry invests vast sums of money in training employees in how to undertake their jobs effectively, efficiently and safely.  For some safety critical roles this training can last many months.  For train drivers the training can take up to a year and training investments of over £100K per trainee are not unheard of.  Put a training course together of 8 delegates and you're approaching an investment of nearly £1million pounds even before those trainees are productive.  It's key that each rail company gets a return on its investment in its trainees - this means ensuring that each trainee succeeds and excels in training, limiting both costly voluntary and compulsory drop outs.

An innovative and exciting workshop designed with Arriva Rail London Limited (ARL)

If you are going to invest vast sums of money in your trainees then you need to help them to get the most out of the training.  One way to do this is to give your trainees tools and techniques in how to learn and study.

For the past 5 years psychologists from The Occupational Psychology Centre (OPC) have been working with ARL on some new and innovative training.  The ‘Training to Learn’ workshop helps ARL trainee drivers to gain maximum benefit from their training. During the one day workshop trainees:

  • Learn and practice powerful memory techniques that have been shown to aid learning and retention of knowledge.
  • Find out about their preferred learning style and how to apply it to maximum effect during their training.
  • Learn some practical tools and techniques in how to cope when the going gets tough including stress buster and meditational techniques.
  • Have the opportunity to self reflect on their learning needs and put a learning plan together.

“These workshops are all about helping in particular our mature trainees to do their best. We no longer have trainees straight from college or university, we often have people who have forgotten all about school and how to learn. This workshop really helps these people and I am very pleased with the results”

ARL, Consultant

“The success of our award winning driver training programme has been as the result of innovative learning methods. One of these included the design of a 1 day training programme that sets the tone for the following 8 months of driver training, by raising the awareness of learning tools that are available that can assist learners in adjusting to a high level of development that, for a number of candidates, would not been exposed to for many years. A key factor of the Training to Learn programme is that it brings all the learners together for the first time, giving them the chance to recognise what will be required of them, how they can manage the workload and, importantly, bonding as a group that really facilitates active learning”

ARL, Head of Competence & Training

ARL trainee drivers give the ‘Training to Learn’ workshop the thumbs up

The workshop really does help trainees to learn how to learn.  It is highly interactive and fun.  Delegates have the opportunity to learn using highly effective practical exercises that are stretching but at the same time fun to undertake – aiding learning still further.

68% of trainees rated the psychologist as excellent

Tens of trainees have now been through the ‘training to learn’ workshop.  It is now a key module of the driver training syllabus.  The feedback continues to be extremely positive. 

“Eye opening”
“Have found new tools to help my learning”
“Excellent and very effective in preparing us for our future learning”
“It’s mind blowing.”
“Very well thought out, useful and relevant”
“Fantastic, self-examining process”
“An interesting and useful day that will greatly assist my learning experience”
“A very valuable course not just for work but for life!”
“Very informative.  Also helpful for the future training course”
“Brilliant training, would like to see this in our schools”

The training to learn course is generic so it can be used for adapted for any training programme where trainees will need to learn and assimilate new information quickly and effectively.

If you would like to know more about how the OPC can assist you with your own in-house training then please contact us.

The OPC, One Wellstones, Watford, WD17 2AE
Tel 01923 234 646
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