This really is a twofold question. Who are the RYA and why are they important to you?

The RYA is the acronym for the Royal Yachting Association. The RYA is the governing body for Powerboating, Motorboating, Personal Watercraft, and all types of sailing in the UK.

Its important to you because it is responsible for the specification of the training courses coming under the National Powerboat Scheme and it is responsible for ensuring that schools that wish to run such courses are run in a totally professional and safe manner.

To become authorised a school needs to prove that its Instructors are suitably qualified, that it operates from a suitable base and that its equipment and training methods are first class. It also needs to operate a strict safety regime and to possess detailed procedures and safety manuals. In short the school needs to evidence to the RYA that it is both safely run and extremely competent. Not all schools though are RYA accredited even if they sometimes imply that they are!. 

So when you are talking to a school ask them if the courses they run are RYA accredited, talk to them about their safety policies - they won't mind at all, they'll welcome it.

To the best of our knowledge all schools featured on this site are RYA accredited - we would advise you to check though before booking a course via the RYA website. - www.rya.org.uk