Are you a dedicated rail professional who wants to gain recognition within the industry?
One way to achieve this is to upgrade your Chartered Institution of Railway Operators (CIRO) membership. CIRO offers membership at a range of levels to suit all stages of professional experience and each one comes with its own requirements and benefits.
Here are some valuable tips to help you complete your application and upgrade successfully, and where you can find support.
Understand the membership levels
Before you start your upgrade application, it’s important that you familiarise yourself with the different membership levels. Each level takes into account your progress on the Professional Operators Development (POD) Framework. Take the time to understand the levels and POD modules, so that you can understand the requirements for your next membership milestone.
The four different levels include:
- Affiliate – no relevant POD experience required.
- Associate – three sections to 30%, must include 3 and 4, plus either 5 or 7.
- Member – eight sections to 50%, must include 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 11. Plus two from 2, 6, 8, 9, 10 or 12.
- Fellow – twelve sections to 80%, must include all sections 1-12 and three areas from an international perspective.
Familiarise yourself with The POD Framework
The POD Framework is the professional map for railway operators. Covering the 12 areas of whole system railway operations, the framework includes:
- Emergency and Incident Management
- Performance Management
- Delivering Passenger and Freight Services
- Managing Safety
- Delivering Customer Services
- Operational Planning and Timetabling
- Train Movement Control Systems
- Rolling Stock and Fleet Management
- Railway Engineering, Maintenance and Renewal Management
- People and Change
- Railway Organisation Business Context
- Financial and Investment Planning
Identify any knowledge gaps
It’s useful to evaluate your current qualifications, work experience and relevant accomplishments within the railway industry. By identifying any areas where you may need to enhance your skills, you can refine your experience for your dedicated membership milestone. It’s important to be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses in order for you to progress.
Set clear goals
Establishing clear and achievable goals is vital to provide direction and increase your chance of success. Creating specific objectives is a great start and ensures you stay motivated and on track with your application. Setting manageable goals such as completing your first POD section, watching an online webinar or completing extra work experience will keep you on track. It will also prevent you from becoming overwhelmed during the process.
Manage your time effectively
Efficient time management is important to help upgrade whilst balancing other commitments and responsibilities in your life. Identify which part of the application requires urgent attention e.g. completing relevant work experience, and focus on this first. Using tools like calendars and to-do lists can be also helpful in avoiding procrastination and setting specific goals for each work session. Rewarding yourself for completing each section will help you to stay motivated.
Speak to a CIRO mentor
Reaching out to an experienced CIRO member who has already upgraded is a great way to gain valuable insights and advice on the process. If you’re part of the CIRO mentoring scheme you have access to ongoing support from leading rail professionals. Free for all members of the Institution, your CIRO mentor can assist with career development, share knowledge and act as a trusted guide within the upgrade process.
Using our new membership portal
Designed to provide our members with a seamless experience, our new members’ portal means that CPD, resources and your upgrade application are all in one place. With the option to easily enter and exit the portal, you can complete your application within a timeframe that suits your needs. The easy-to-understand layout makes completing your upgrade as simple as it can be.
Login to the portal to start your upgrade application today.
https://www.ciromembers.org/
Other support available:
- Upgrade Guidance Pack which can be downloaded from the Members’ Portal – highly recommend reading before you begin your upgrade.
- Upgrade Drop-Ins – an open MS Teams session where you can ask the team any questions. Find out when the next session is via our events page.
- CIRO Membership Team – get in touch with us (Carolyn, Liz and Kelly) we’d be happy to talk though any questions you have on a one-on-one basis
- Further resources if you need to plug any gaps – such as our back catalogue of webinars on CIRO TV (also found within your Members’ Portal)