LIFE OF RYAN

Meet Our Newest IQA – Ryan Rimmer

Ryan has worked with DMR for several years now, and he’s an indispensable part of our training and assessment team. He covers a number of occupational areas, including roofing, cladding and construction supervision. This month, Ryan added another string to his bow by gaining his Internal Quality Assurance qualification.

We’ve celebrated the occasion by asking Ryan to share the story of his career so far.

Over to you, Ryan…

“Hi, my name is Ryan Rimmer. I was born on an RAF base in Germany in 1982, and I’m happily married with three young sons. When I’m not working or spending time with my family, I enjoy visiting the gym, swimming and watching football.

I’m a construction trainer and assessor –  a profession I’ve had for over ten years. Before getting into training and assessment, I worked in the construction industry doing a variety of trades.”

From Construction Worker to Trainer

“I transferred from construction worker to trainer following a chance meeting with one of my former college lecturers. After discussing my progress in the industry, he promoted the idea of training and assessing.

My lecturer’s advice clearly made a positive impression. A short time later, I joined HB Training where I gained the necessary qualifications to launch my new career in training.

I initially started training school-leavers in apprenticeships which consisted of both classroom training and onsite assessments.

The real joy for me was seeing the young learners taking their classroom-acquired skills and putting them to practical use in the workplace before completing their qualifications and starting careers in a great sector.”

Starting My Own Business

“Due to funding cuts, apprenticeships became unviable at the training firm where I worked and, unfortunately, I was made redundant. With a third child on the way, I decided to take the leap and set up my own onsite training and assessment business.

Starting a business was a new challenge in my career that I thoroughly enjoyed. It brought opportunities to work with a broader range of learners from different backgrounds and varying skill levels. As a result, I improved my own skills and became a better assessor.”

Working For DMR Training

“I maintained a good relationship with my previous employer, and they put me in touch with Dave Radley at DMR Training. We arranged a meeting to discuss possible business opportunities, and from the moment we met, it was clear we shared similar ideas, high standards and enthusiasm for the training sector.

That was three and half years ago, and I’ve worked with Dave and the DMR team ever since. I think we’ve lived up to the mutual ideals discussed in that first meeting by delivering a high standard of training and assessment to learners, with quality being the key focus for each learner.”

Adapting to Covid-19

“In recent times, the pandemic has brought many new challenges to the industry, especially in the way we conduct face-to-face assessment.

To assess candidates during Covid, we had to switch to new methods suitable for distance learning. We made greater use of technology to capture evidence of learners’ work.

Adopting new and innovative assessment techniques was a challenge at first. However, with guidance from Dave and DMR, we continued to help learners achieve their qualifications while maintaining the high-quality standards set out by the awarding bodies.”

Gaining My IQA Qualification

“After a decade spent working as an assessor, I was recently given the opportunity by DMR to undertake my IQA qualification.

Progressing to IQA was the next step in my career and something that I had always wanted to achieve, as I believed it would give me a better insight into the entire training and assessment process.

Dave gave me much support throughout my IQA qualification, and I had the opportunity to shadow, and learn from, Steve Graham – Senior IQA at DMR. With Steve and Dave’s guidance, I achieved the qualification. I’m now excited about moving forward in the industry, and I already view it from a new perspective thanks to my IQA qualification.”

Congrats! Ryan with his IQA certificate.

Why I Think Training and Assessment Matters

“Training and qualifications are a vital part of the construction industry because they give everyone a chance to better themselves and reach their full potential in their given trade and beyond.

Our role as construction trainers and assessors is to ensure that qualifications are achieved by competent and skilled workers. High standards in education are essential if we want the best people in the industry to work to their full capacity.

I feel that DMR meets and exceeds these high standards, and I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve had during my time at the company.”

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