Richardson Rail Services Ltd. Personal Development Specialist

Purpose Richardson Rail Services Ltd aims to provide a high-quality process that outlines the steps necessary for candidates who have attended training or assessment events to appeal any unfair or unjust outcomes. This process aligns with the assessment and training requirements as specified in RTAS rules 4.2.42.

Scope This document applies to all areas of business operations where track safety training and assessment are provided to candidates in accordance with industry standards.

Candidate Appeals Process Before commencing any training or assessment event, the Trainer/Assessor must remind candidates that the appeals process exists and that they have the right to use it if necessary.

The procedure for training and assessment appeals will be shared digitally with the candidates along with the joining instructions. The candidate will receive a copy of the same prior to attending the event. However, if the candidate requires a hard copy, the request must be made in advance of the event.

If a Candidate believes that a decision made by the Trainer/Assessor is unjust, they should communicate their concerns verbally to the Trainer/Assessor at the time the decision is made. They should explain the reasons for their dissatisfaction and specify the areas where they feel they have not been assessed or treated fairly.

The Trainer/Assessor should clearly state the areas where the candidate needs to provide more evidence in the ongoing assessment, review, and action plan. A clear plan should also be developed to identify how the Candidate can gather the required evidence. If the Candidate is still aggrieved following the Trainer/Assessor's explanation, an appeal report form should be completed and if on a workplace assessment, the assessment decision should be marked as disagreed. The Appeals form (TRA-031) should be provided directly to the Training and Assessment Manager by sending the completed form to: rhys@richardsonrail.co.uk, ensuring that the subject title is "Appeal". The Training and Assessment Manager will notify the candidate of receipt of the appeal. Normally the Training and Assessment Manager will decide within 10 working days of the training or assessment appeal coming in and provide clear written feedback directly to the Candidate using the appeals report form (TRA-031 If the Training and Assessment Manager is unable to reach a decision based on the information given, or if the candidate does not accept that decision, it will be escalated to the Managing Director of the company (Richardson Rail Services If the candidate requests this, it must be done via the Training and Assessment Manager.

If the grievance is resolved and the candidate accepts the decision, no further action will be taken.

If unresolved or the Training and Assessment Manager cannot agree on its resolution, it will be escalated to The Managing Director. Before taking this step, the Training and Assessment Manager shall: Check that the candidate is satisfied that all the relevant information is contained within the original appeals report form (by reading this to the candidate if necessary If the candidate is not satisfied, the Training and Assessment Manager should obtain a second appeals record form to expand on the information given by the Candidate. Check that the Candidate has the name and contact point of the Managing Director. Send the Managing Director all relevant evidence, assessment records/plans and the appeals report form. Attach their own report to explain why they have upheld their decision. The Managing Director will make a decision within two weeks (14 working days) after receiving information from the Training and Assessment Manager. They will then arrange a meeting with the candidate, assessor, and assessment manager. The decision will be based on the interviews and supporting evidence. The candidate will receive a decision as soon as possible with a written summary. If the candidate is still unsatisfied with the decision, the matter will be referred to the appropriate governing body advisor in the final stage of the appeal. Details will be provided directly to the candidate once all other avenues of appeal have been exhausted. The Training and Assessment Manager will record all appeals and back them all up electronically for future audit purposes. The training and assessment appeals procedure will be provided along with the joining instructions digitally so that the candidate receives a copy prior to attending the event. A hard copy will no longer be provided unless asked for and this must be done in advance of the event.

If the assessor involved in an appeal request is the training manager, the appeal will be reviewed by the next senior person in line. If necessary, the appeal may need to be escalated directly to the director or a delegated individual. Please note that appeals and complaints must be submitted separately and cannot be combined on one form. For information on how to file a complaint, please refer to document SOP03.

In cases where the training manager is also the M.D, there will be no further escalation available.

The form should be completed and returned by hitting the submit button;

OR you can email to rhys@richardsonrail.co.uk ensuring that the message subject is "Appeal".

We here at Richardson Rail Services strive for excellence in everything we do, and as such are sorry you have felt you have to complete this form. We will investigate this claim with an unbiased and fair approach. You will be responded to in line with our appeals policy.

Rhys Richardson (Managing Director)