Regional Training Partners is a specialist transport and logistics training provider based in Tees Valley, trading since 2007. Following a change in leadership and a shareholder-driven push for growth, the business relocated from a long-term managed business centre to dedicated industrial premises in early 2025 — a move that exposed an immediate and significant gap: they had no independent IT infrastructure whatsoever. Regional Training Partners had operated from a managed business centre for 19 years — all IT, Wi-Fi, and phone infrastructure was fully managed by the centre, giving no direct control or ownership of systems. A decision to move into dedicated industrial premises triggered the need for entirely independent IT and telecoms for the first time.
The relationship with Smart IT began slightly earlier, when the new Managing Director went looking for a Cyber Essentials certification partner to satisfy a government contract requirement. That initial engagement built enough trust that when the premises move created a need for a full IT setup from scratch, Smart IT was the natural choice to deliver it.
Smart IT set up a fully independent IT and telecoms environment: dedicated Wi-Fi, new phone system, managed firewall, and cloud-based infrastructure. The transition from a fully managed setup to independent systems required significant change management, including resolving firewall and printing/scanning issues during the cutover period, but these were resolved quickly. Within approximately three to four weeks of moving, the business was already experiencing tangible benefits in speed, reliability, and team independence. Staff can now work independently without relying on the MD for system access — a major step forward for operational efficiency.
Smart IT is now positioned as a long-term partner as the business pursues further growth, including a move to become a prime contractor for government-funded training from August 2025.
Neil praised the team on two things above all: responsiveness (queries acknowledged within 30 minutes, typically resolved same day) and the quality of the relationship — describing Smart IT as a partner rather than a supplier, with a team that consistently goes beyond what’s strictly required.
“It’s not just a supplier relationship — it’s more of a partnership. You can pick up the phone, have a bit of a chat. They’re knowledgeable, know what they’re doing, and very good at advising what we need as a company. If I already knew what I was doing, I wouldn’t need to reach out to experts — and that’s exactly what Smart IT are.
Response time has been really good. Emails acknowledged within half an hour, most times resolved the same day. That’s what you want as a business — to be able to speak to somebody when you’ve got an issue and have it resolved quickly.
Even when the team came to site, they couldn’t do enough for us — going above and beyond what they possibly needed to do. That kind of service makes a real difference.”
— Neil Robshaw. Managing Director, Regional Training Partners
