Keeping it ‘all in the family’
Since officially partnering with RMA – The Royal Marines Association less than a year ago, Arbroath-based IED Training Solutions, has already provided Mental Health First Aid training to over 70 beneficiaries.
Managing director, Ian Clark, is a former Royal Marine with 22 years’ service, the majority of which time was served within 45 Commando RM conducting numerous operational tours.
Royal Marines are a tight-knit family, and with RMA pledging to offer lifelong support to the Royal Marines family, this relationship perfectly demonstrates the strongly held commitment – ‘Once a Marine, always a Marine’.
Working in close collaboration with the Charity, IED Training Solutions delivers nationally accredited and regulated training courses to serving personnel, service leavers, the Veteran community, and RMA corporate sponsors. These include health and safety, mental health and wellbeing first aid training and IOSH approved Trauma Risk Management (TRiM).
The company pledges to return 50% of all net profits from income generated by the training delivery collaboration back to the Charity and it also offers complementary training courses to RMA employees and welfare volunteers.
Both RMA and IED Training have been awarded the Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award from the Ministry of Defence for their exemplary commitment to the Armed Forces community.
Mr Clark says: “The opportunity to work with RMA – the Royal Marines Charity gives us a real sense of excitement and pride. The Royal Marines are truly special and those that have or have had the privilege to serve in the Corps are only too aware of the positive impact which that service has had on their lives.
More so than ever, we live in an increasingly globalised and competitive society and the importance of continuing professional development cannot be overstated. Equally, those employers who invest in training for their employees can benefit from a more highly skilled, motivated and committed workforce.”
Chief Executive of RMA Jonathan Ball said: “The wide-ranging partnership we have with IED Training Solutions is working as well as we envisaged. Firstly, we are able to support and promote a business run by one of our own which provides first-class products; secondly, it is an opportunity to assist those Royal Marines who have lost their own careers through medical discharge, into employment with IED’s highly regarded accredited qualifications; and thirdly, IED’s generous offer to share profits helps boost significantly the funds we have to ensure our continued support to Royal Marines and their families in need.