A partnership has been created to develop a revolutionary training product that will transform the way emergency services professionals will conduct training across the world.

Glyndwr University and Ruth Lee Ltd have formed a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) to enhance life-saving training methods.

Ruth Lee Ltd is a world-leading manufacturer of rescue training manikins. All Ruth Lee products have been developed at the request of its customers – indeed, the very first manikin was created when a firefighter friend of the owner, Ruth Lee (herself!) asked her to repair his home-made dummy.

Since then, the company has worked with experts in safety and rescue including the Royal Navy, RNLI, RLSS, and many others to create a range of manikins designed specifically for the demands of different technical rescue scenarios, including working at height, lifeguard training, confined space evacuation and trauma management.

In 2020 Ruth Lee hosted several panel discussions with training leaders across various sectors to discover their vision for ‘The Future of Training’.

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The company reached out to Glyndwr University to explore opportunities for collaboration and in May 2022 the two organisations secured funding from Innovate UK and the Welsh Government for a 2-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), which will enable Ruth Lee to employ a software development engineer and embed into the business the skills it needs to meet future training needs.

The Leader: Wrexham Glyndwr University (image: WGU)Wrexham Glyndwr University (image: WGU)

Stuart Cheetham, innovation manager at Ruth Lee Ltd said: “Ruth Lee Ltd is not about “doing what has always been done” – we want to transform training – to make it the best and most realistic experience so that those taking part become more skilled and more confident to fulfil their community-critical roles.

“We are keen to develop exceptional training concepts – our Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Glyndwr University is an important step in this process and we are really looking forward to working with them as we look at ways to develop and apply new technologies to (Search/Rescue/Care) training.”

Paul McDonnell, managing director at Ruth Lee Ltd said: “The close collaboration with experts from Glyndwr University will facilitate a transfer of the skills and technical knowledge required by Ruth Lee to transform the business over the next few years, as we achieve our vision of becoming a global innovation leader in the sector.

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"We have a long-standing relationship with the Welsh Government and in particular, Business Wales, who have supported us with several projects aimed at growing the business.

"This latest initiative is an excellent example of how academia is collaborating with, and supporting, industry in Wales to drive business, increase exports and generate employment opportunities for local communities.”