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ByNews DeskNews Desk
April 20, 2026

Sterling Training Selected by the Defence Academy of the UK to Deliver Specialist Development Programmes

The Defence Academy of the UK has chosen Sterling Training to provide specialist trainer training programmes, with the aim of strengthening instructional capability across defence training operations.

As the Ministry of Defence’s dedicated institution for professional military education and training within the UK Armed Forces, the Defence Academy of the UK is collaborating with Sterling Training to raise the standard of trainer delivery across its programmes, with a particular focus on improving the experience of its international delegates.

This appointment is consistent with a broader trend in both defence and commercial sectors towards building stronger internal training capability, driven by growing demand for flexible and adaptable instruction in response to an increasingly diverse and multicultural workforce.

Sterling Training was established by Managing Director Emma Lacey and operates from its headquarters in Southampton, offering rapidly deployable training solutions delivered through face-to-face and online formats, serving clients both nationally and internationally across defence and business training settings.

“To now be appointed by the Defence Academy of the UK is a real validation of everything we’ve built, and reflects our commitment to excellence, innovation and long-term impact in defence education and training,” said Emma.

Managing Director of Sterling Training, Emma Lacey.
The organisation was originally established to deliver rapidly deployable training solutions for military organisations.
“I started Sterling Training in 2015 to meet the demand for high-quality, rapidly deployable training solutions for international military organisations. Beginning in Oman, we quickly earned a reputation for delivering outstanding bespoke training, tailored to diverse operational requirements.
“TILT (Train the International Learner and Trainee) was born from that experience – designed to ensure our own trainers could deliver in any cultural context – but what happened next surprised even us. It was identified as addressing a critical gap within the British Army’s own framework, adopted as a solution and has since been delivered to more than 2,000 serving personnel,” added Emma.
The TILT programme was developed in 2016 to support effective, consistent and adaptable training delivery across varied learning environments and a wide range of learner profiles. It is embedded within Sterling Training’s trainer development approach and used across defence-related training contexts.
The appointment comes as defence and commercial organisations increasingly focus on strengthening internal training capability in response to changing learning environments, including the growth of hybrid and digital delivery models.
Within defence training environments, there is a continued shift towards developing internal instructional capability as organisations modernise training systems and adapt to evolving workforce requirements.
“Synthetic training environments come with inherent dangers”, says Emma, “if we simply bolt technology onto poor trainer practice, we simply have more expensive, less effective training.”
In addition to its international defence work, Sterling Training has held a continuous contract with the British Army since 2016, including the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, with 6–10 TILT courses delivered annually. Further details on trainer training courses for UK Forces personnel available online.
ByNews DeskNews Desk
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