One year ago, Rizon officially began its journey, and the business is celebrating its first birthday – reflecting on a year of bringing people and businesses together, while looking ahead to what comes next.
Charlie Cameron, Managing Director shared more on the journey.
He said: “As Rizon celebrates its first birthday we could write pages about why we came together, the highs and lows of our first year, the challenges of bringing businesses together and the lessons learned along the way but ultimately, our first birthday is about something much simpler: celebrating the people who have made the journey possible.
"From our incredible team and customers to our hugely supportive partners and the wider business community, our first year has been shaped by the people around it.
"Launching a new brand and bringing established businesses together in a competitive market was never going to be easy and there have been challenges, plenty of lessons learned and moments that have tested the organisation however the highs have far outweighed the lows and we are enjoying the journey.”
Over the last 12 months, Rizon has travelled internationally, launched new products into the market, trained thousands of individuals and supported hundreds of businesses with their training and development needs.
The business has also welcomed dozens of school children through its centre, held its own events and showcased at events hosted by others. Alongside this, Rizon has successfully completed every audit, supported charitable fundraising and continued to invest in developing its offering.
And, perhaps inevitably for a business made up of people who spend a lot of time together, there have been more than a few biscuits and cakes consumed along the way.
“It's been a whirlwind year,” says Carol Gray, Business Support Director.
“There have been challenges, of course, and bringing businesses together and launching a new brand was never going to happen without a few bumps along the way but when we look back at everything we’ve achieved in our first year, it’s the people and the relationships that stand out most. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built together.”
One year old, but with a much longer history
While Rizon may be celebrating its first birthday, its story goes back much further.
The businesses that came together to form Rizon bring around 100 years of combined training delivery experience, creating a significant foundation of knowledge and expertise.
The decision to bring those businesses together was driven in part by listening to customers.
Businesses were increasingly telling their training providers about the challenges of managing multiple suppliers, navigating different systems and trying to find the right training for their people and at the same time, organisations were operating in challenging market conditions and looking carefully at where they invested their time and money.
Rizon was created as a response to those challenges – bringing established expertise together under one brand and creating a simpler way for businesses to access training.
Today, Rizon offers more than 200 courses, covering a wide range of training and development needs but the ambition has always been about more than the number of courses available.
More than a training provider
Rizon’s aim is to become a genuine partner to the businesses it works with.
That means understanding the individual needs of each organisation and looking at how training can support its wider objectives. For some businesses, that might mean ensuring their teams remain compliant and have the necessary qualifications and for others, it could mean supporting new employees as they join the organisation, developing existing employees or helping people progress into new roles.
Increasingly, Rizon is also working with businesses to develop training plans that connect directly with their wider growth strategies – helping organisations consider not just what training they need today, but what skills they will need for tomorrow.
“Training works best when it isn’t treated as something separate from the business,” says Caryn Gibson, Business Development Manager.
“For me, it’s always been about people. We are passionate about helping individuals develop, grow and progress, and I believe that when you invest in your people, you’re investing in the future of your business.
"We want to understand where a business is going and then help develop the people and skills needed to get there – Whether that’s supporting someone new to the business, helping an existing employee progress, developing future leaders or simply ensuring compliance, we want to be there to support both the business and its people every step of the way."
Looking ahead
As Rizon celebrates its first birthday, the business is not simply looking back at what has been achieved – the focus is firmly on what comes next.
The first year has been about bringing people, businesses, experience and expertise together and the next chapter will be about building on those foundations and continuing to develop the support Rizon can offer to businesses and their people.
For an organisation that may only be one year old, there is already a considerable history behind it and with around 100 years of experience brought together under one roof, more than 200 courses available and a growing network of customers and partners, Rizon believes it is only just getting started..
Reflecting on their first year of Rizon, the Executive Team said: “We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has been part of our first year – our customers, partners, learners and of course, our team.
“Thank you for trusting us, supporting us, challenging us and being part of the journey. We are proud of what we’ve achieved together, but we’re even more excited about what comes next.”
To continue to follow the journey, connect with Rizon on Linkedin and Facebook.