Nationwide Platforms expands training with new rig

The UK’s Nationwide Platforms has expanded its specialist training offering with the installation of its first fixed IPAF PAL+ training rig in the East Midlands.

The new rig, now operational at the company’s Leicester depot, increases access to advanced operator training for powered access professionals across the region.

Nationwide Platforms’ new IPAF PAL+ training rig in the UK. (Image: Nationwide Platforms).

The new rig is purpose-built for the IPAF PAL+ course: a one-day, advanced qualification for experienced operators of MEWPs. PAL+ is increasingly mandated by Tier 1 contractors and large infrastructure sites and is rapidly becoming the expected standard for complex, high-risk MEWP operations.

This new rig marks a significant milestone in Nationwide Platforms’ national training network. It joins four of the company’s existing PAL+ sites in Bristol, Warrington, Edinburgh and London East and ensures that customers in the Midlands can now access this advanced training without the need to travel cross-country.

Confined space simulation 

Nationwide Platforms is alaready one of the UK’s largest IPAF-approved training providers and is Europe’s largest provider of specialist work‑at‑height training, with multiple centres across the UK. 

The East Midlands rig includes a square lattice of overhead steelwork and hanging chains to simulate confined spaces, requiring delegates to operate with precision and spatial awareness. This offers a significant upgrade from the layouts typically used in standard training.

Rebecca Myers, External Training Manager at Nationwide Platforms, said, “Customer demand for advanced operator training is rising fast, particularly on sites where there’s zero room for error. PAL+ offers a higher level of assurance and practical capability, and we’re seeing more clients request it as standard. Adding a dedicated rig in the East Midlands gives our regional customers better access to that level of training.

“This installation is part of our wider strategy to invest in the kind of future-focused, site-relevant training that reflects where our customers are headed next.”