Following RAID’s outstanding growth after its relaunch in early 2014, the diver training agency is now actively seeking qualified partners to own and run new RAID Regional Offices.

“With such offices already established in Australia, Asia, Africa, Italy, Korea, Latin America, Middle East, Philippines and the UK, and with RAID programs taught in over 40 countries, the opportunities for talented people to get in on the ground floor of RAID’s revolutionary concept in diver training will never be better. We are especially interested in talking to potential new partners later this month at DEMA Show 2014,” said Jim Holliday, RAID International CEO.

Terry Cummins, Director of Business and Marketing for RAID International, said: “I remember when I started running my own regional office with another training agency over 40 years ago feeling the same level of excitement and independence I do with RAID today. On the other hand, diving enterprise in many parts of the world, particularly the developed markets like the USA, Australia, UK and many parts of Europe is flat or in decline calling for a significant change and totally new business models. Training agencies are at the gateway of new diver acquisition and have a massive responsibility to generate change for the benefit of the entire industry, not just themselves. RAID can help provide such a change with its points of difference to other training agencies”.

Paul Toomer, RAID International’s Training Director, said: “There is only one certainty if nothing changes, nothing changes, and RAID is set to change the diving industry and help reinvigorate the industry. For starters it’s an awesome comprehensive online system with new and affordable courses coming online almost every month – literally the most prolific growth in the number of programs the industry has seen. Secondly, RAID has a proactive quality control system like no other to improve and maintain the quality of diver training. Thirdly, RAID uses the latest training techniques adopted from the technical diving community to greatly enhance essential skills like proper buoyancy control and other in-water skills of all new divers.”

Commenting on RAID’s corporate slogan, Dive Training In A Class of Its Own, Holliday feels that “while the courses of the 70s and 80s were perhaps too long and arduous, the pendulum has now swung too far the other way. RAID’s philosophy involves putting some real content back into dive courses resulting in a far better diver, increases in diver retention, improved gear sales and the ability to generate a general commitment to diving”

Cummins added: “Also the cost of certification packages for stores is a topic that has been a major concern for the dive industry for years. That is, course fees locked in the 70s and 80s while certification packages seem to be going up and up every year. So we have leveraged our technology platform to the point where our programs typically cost much less to become involved at both the store and consumer level than you will find elsewhere.”

Holliday continued: “Although you can learn the theory of diving in cyberspace with the state of the art technology we have at RAID, you eventually need to get wet, and that generates the need for RAID Instructors, RAID Dive Centres and Regional Offices to service RAIDERS in the respective territories. Now here is the really exciting part: you can be a direct part of this. RAID are offering opportunities to join us and become a RAID Instructor, RAID Dive Centre or even a RAID Regional Office proprietor.”

If you are interested, contact Cummins at RAID International (terryc@diveraid.com.au). Cummins is quick to add that applicants for RAID Regional Offices will be expected to submit a resume of experience, undergo a due diligence exercise and provide a business plan as part of their application to join the growing RAID global team. In the meantime you can visit www.diveraid.com for more information.