Rhyal Engineering Makes Training Management “Ten Times Easier” with VISION
Rhyal Engineering is an engineering company working across oil and gas sites, where accurate training records and up-to-date certification are essential for keeping teams compliant and site-ready.
The company uses VISION’s Training Matrix module to manage training visibility, course expiry dates and site-specific training requirements.
We spoke with Alex Cooper, Safety, Health, Environment and Quality Manager at Rhyal Engineering, about why the company moved to VISION and the difference it has made after two years of use.
The Challenge: Moving Away from Excel
Before using VISION, Rhyal Engineering relied on Excel to manage its training matrix.
For Alex and the wider team, this had become increasingly difficult to maintain. Training records needed constant attention, expiry dates had to be checked manually, and keeping everything up to date was taking too much time.
“Using Excel as a training matrix is a nightmare. Before VISION, it was a full-time job for someone to filter through the Excel documents and keep an eye on things.”
While Excel can be adapted to track dates and training information, it was not giving Rhyal Engineering the level of control, visibility or ease of use they needed.
The team wanted a better way to manage training records, identify upcoming expiries and reduce the time being spent maintaining spreadsheets.
Finding the Right Training Matrix System
Rhyal Engineering reviewed several training matrix providers before choosing VISION.
Alex had previously come across VISION at a safety conference and kept the details in mind. When Rhyal Engineering began looking for a better system, VISION stood out for its speed of response, value for money and modular approach.
“We looked at a series of training matrix companies to see who would be able to cater to our needs. I contacted VISION, got a speedy response, and the pricing was very good compared to some other organisations. I then had a demonstration on how it could work and I loved the modular approach of the platform.”
The Solution: VISION Training Matrix
Rhyal Engineering implemented VISION’s Training Matrix module to replace its Excel-based system.
The Training Matrix gives the team a clearer view of employee training records, upcoming course expiries and site-specific training requirements.
For a business working on oil and gas sites, this is particularly important. If a member of staff arrives on site without the correct training or certification, they can be turned away. That creates delays, lost working time and potential lost revenue.
VISION helped Rhyal Engineering move from reactive training management to a more proactive and controlled approach.
Better Visibility of Expiring Training
One of the biggest improvements for Rhyal Engineering was the ability to see when training courses were due to expire.
Before VISION, the team sometimes found themselves trying to send workers to site without the correct tickets in place. If a certificate had expired, it could take weeks to get that person booked onto the correct course.
“VISION has prevented us from losing out on revenue because it gives you plenty of notice on when people are going to expire for courses.”
That clearer visibility has helped the team plan ahead, focus on the right training for the right sites and avoid unnecessary last-minute issues.
Smarter Training Spend
VISION has also helped Rhyal Engineering understand where training spend is needed.
Rather than renewing courses blindly, the team can now see who has what training, where they are working and which courses are genuinely required.
“When we had VISION implemented, we could see a better overview of who had what and where they were working. It allowed us to concentrate on the correct courses for the right sites better.”
This gave Rhyal Engineering a bigger picture of training across the business, helping the team understand whether they were overspending, underspending or prioritising the right courses.
Support That Stands Out
For Alex, one of the biggest surprises was the quality of support from the VISION team.
Rhyal Engineering uses a number of portal-based systems and works with subcontractors and external resources, so responsive support is important.
VISION’s support, particularly from Amy, stood out.
“VISION by far, particularly Amy, is the very best at getting back to us immediately. If we have an issue, or if I’m lacking understanding on something, I can message Amy and she’s back in touch within that day. Usually within an hour she’ll come back with an answer.”
This level of support has helped Rhyal Engineering get answers quickly and continue using the system with confidence.
Helping Teams Adapt to Change
Introducing a new system can be challenging, especially when people are used to working in Excel.
Rhyal Engineering experienced some initial resistance from colleagues who were familiar with the old process. From their perspective, Excel appeared to be working because they could view and send information to clients. Behind the scenes, however, HR and training management teams were spending too much time maintaining the system.
Once VISION was introduced and staff were shown how simple it could be, resistance reduced.
“We set up a couple of training sessions internally and showed them how things would work. We stopped getting the complaints, and no news is good news.”
Easy to Use Across Different Levels of Computer Literacy
One of Alex’s favourite things about VISION is that it can be used by people with different levels of technical confidence.
The system is simple enough for users who only need to find and export training information, while still offering more advanced features for administrators who need deeper access to company training data.
“It is designed to be used by anyone of any level of computer literacy. We have a variety of different people in this company, some who have been in the industry for many years and struggle with new technologies. This caters to that.”
Simple Filtering and Exporting
VISION’s search and filtering tools have also made it easier for Rhyal Engineering to manage training information for different sites.
Users can filter by site and export the relevant training information quickly, either as Excel data or as screenshots and PDFs.
This has helped site teams access the information they need without relying on more complex spreadsheet processes.
“If you want to filter to a site, it’s just a simple click of a button. It’s not just site filtering, it’s the range of different filters that you can use.”
Value for Money
Rhyal Engineering also found VISION to be strong value compared with other platforms reviewed during the selection process.
“When I looked around the other systems and had demonstrations from other people, they were more expensive and the facilities and services were less advantageous to us. They just weren’t as good.”
Would Rhyal Engineering Recommend VISION?
Alex is clear that he would recommend VISION to other organisations.
“I would recommend VISION and I do recommend VISION.”
While many of Rhyal Engineering’s major oil and gas clients already have their own systems in place, Alex says the company continues to highlight the clear presentation and layout they have with VISION.
Clients may not always have the power to change their own systems, but they recognise the quality of the information Rhyal Engineering is able to present.
The Result
After two years of using VISION’s Training Matrix, Rhyal Engineering has moved away from a time-consuming Excel-based system and gained a clearer, more reliable way to manage training records.
VISION has helped the team:
- Improve visibility of training expiry dates
- Reduce the risk of sending workers to site without the right tickets
- Plan training more effectively
- Avoid blindly renewing courses
- Export site-specific training information more easily
- Support users with different levels of computer literacy
- Save time managing training records
- Access fast, helpful support when needed
For Alex, the impact is simple:
“It makes life ten times easier.”
Explore VISION Training Matrix
VISION’s Training Matrix helps organisations manage training records, track expiry dates and keep clearer evidence of workforce competence.
To find out how VISION could support your organisation, explore the Training Matrix module or book a demo with the VISION team.
You can also start a 14-day free trial to explore VISION for yourself.