Safety in Numbers: How a Sector-Wide Partnership is Rewriting the Rulebook

The tank storage sector plays a pivotal role in the energy infrastructure, both in the UK and around the world. But as the landscape evolves through energy transition, digital transformation and rising regulatory demands, it’s clear that the way we train, qualify and progress our people must evolve too.

That’s why Reynolds Training Services, in collaboration with SIAS and the Tank Storage Association (TSA), is leading a sector-wide initiative to build a new generation of qualifications and career pathways tailored to the needs of our high-hazard industries.

The initial development orbits around the Level 2 Diploma in Bulk Liquid Operations. The wider vision? To usher in a new era of industry-aligned qualifications designed not just for today, but for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.

Industry has spoken and, as a collective, we are listening.

Facing the skills challenge head on

Across the bulk liquid and tank storage sector, employers are confronting a shared challenge: legacy training frameworks no longer adequately reflect the skills and knowledge required for safe, efficient and future-facing operations. Whether it’s managing hydrogen infrastructure, integrating process automation or responding to increasing regulatory pressure, the gap between classroom and site has widened.

Things are moving fast. So we’re moving fast too.

The need for modular, industry-aligned qualifications has never been more urgent. Without them, businesses struggle to benchmark skills, operators face limited progression routes and the sector is falling behind as new fuels and technologies reshape operational expectations. The skills gap risks creating a safety gap and it’s one that we, as an industry, must close.

A collaborative response

In response, Reynolds Training, SIAS, TSA and our collective partners have joined forces – you could say it’s safety in numbers. Of course, our industry has seen its fair share of learning material rebrands masquerading as innovation. But this isn’t a refresh. It’s a ground-up redevelopment of qualifications, built on the foundations of real-world insight, technical rigour and genuine sector-wide collaboration. This is a root-and-branch rethink of what competence truly means in the high-hazard environment.

SIAS is a leading awarding organisation for STEM industries. As Managing Director, Steve Smith explains: “We are really committed to working with Reynolds Training and TSA, their employer partners and wider stakeholders to develop and take into market later this year a modern, modular, wider portfolio of qualifications to support the bulk liquid and tank storage sectors.”

The partnership, he continues, underscores “our mutual dedication” to delivering “high-quality training” that aligns with labour market demands across key UK industries.

A framework that works now and in the future

At the heart of this initiative is a modular makeover designed to build knowledge and capability in manageable stages. From foundation to management level, each qualification has been mapped against real job roles, with clear progression routes that promote continuous upskilling, enabling our people to rise through the ranks safely.

The Career Pathways 2025 framework illustrates this approach, showing how learners can level up from Awareness to Intermediate, Advanced and eventually into roles that Manage others. It’s about creating a circular economy of skills, knowledge and experience that passes from one generation, to the next and then the next.

These levels are reinforced by the TSA Proficiency Matrix, which defines not just what learners know, but how they apply that knowledge in increasingly complex contexts.

In doing so, each qualification has been designed around several key principles:

• Industry relevance: Built on operational needs and mapped to occupational standards.
• Progression: Structured pathways from entry-level to advanced roles.
• Safety and compliance: A core focus, not an add-on.
• Adaptability: Future-ready content including digitalisation, automation and low-carbon practices.

The programme is being launched in phases, beginning with the Level 2 Diploma in Bulk Liquid Storage Operations and a suite of awards already available on Reynolds Training’s website:

• Level 2 Award in Process Safety Awareness
• Level 2 Award in the Introduction to Hydrogen Safety
• Level 3 Award in Process Safety Operations
• Level 3 Award in Process Safety Management

These qualifications offer flexible delivery, digital assessment and real-world relevance. They mark a step-change in how operators are prepared for work on high-hazard sites.

Redefining competence

Alongside new qualifications, Reynolds Training has introduced a structured approach to defining and measuring competence. The Proficiency Matrix offers a functional guide to progression. It allows employers to benchmark performance and helps individuals see a route through the industry, whether they enter as a contractor, apprentice or mid-career technician.

John Reynolds, Managing Director of Reynolds Training, comments: “To equip the industry for the future, we must build from the ground up – structured pathways, modern standards and qualifications aligned to real-world needs. This isn’t about box-ticking. It’s about building competence, career mobility and long-term safety and process safety across the sector.”

The inclusion of the TSA Skills Committee throughout the development process ensures sector-wide applicability. Crucially, it means that the qualification suite isn’t formed in a vacuum, but rather shaped by those operating at the heart of the industry.

A new pipeline of potential

With the first phase of qualifications due to launch later in 2025, Reynolds Training and its partners are inviting employers to engage with the framework, explore how it fits their workforce development strategies and help shape future iterations.

From your site to insights, this marks an opportunity to align learning with reality, close the skills gap and prepare our workforce for a safer tomorrow, today.