A NEW purpose-built training facility providing tuition for working at height and in confined spaces has launched in Inverkeithing.

MRS Training & Rescue, which also has a base in Crossgates, says the new, state-of-the-art facility has been designed specifically to support the safety and welfare of businesses in the region and throughout Scotland.

The six-figure investment follows a record year for the business, which recorded a nine per cent increase in profit year-on-year and a 15 per cent increase in staff numbers.

As well as the new facility, the company has announced a significant contract win to provide working-at-height and confined-spaces training for Ferguson Marine, a world-class shipbuilding and ship repair business.

Errol Parrish, operations manager for MRS Training & Rescue in Fife, said the new centre was a significant investment for the business.

"We have, in fact, been fortunate to buck the economic trend over the last 12 months and have remained fully operational helping to support our clients within mission-critical industry," he said.

"We have been at the forefront of innovation since our inception over 100 years ago. From our beginnings as a Mines Rescue Station, we have developed and diversified to meet the operational needs of industry to become the nation’s premier provider of specialist working-at-height, confined-spaces training and emergency rescue cover and consultancy.

"This new facility will support our existing site in Crossgates to help deliver the very best training solution for a number of mission-critical sectors.”

The indoor training facility will deliver an ultra-realistic practical training environment for clients.

As well as including three training rooms, it has an expansive eight-metre-tall scaffold access system designed to simulate a variety of industry scenarios for working-at-height rescue and training drills.

A freestanding tower will enable training in suspension, a suspended rescue and a casualty stretcher rescue while dedicated confined space vessels and network of crawl spaces with a variety of entry points will be used for bespoke confined space training.