iRail 2011
Pete Waterman watches successful students from this year’s iRail competition jump for joy
THE NEXT GENERATION OF RAILWAY WORKERS
At iRail 2011, RTM caught up with leading industry figures likeGil Howarth, Tim Dugher, Rob Mullen and Steve Ray to discuss the future of rail…
E
veryone agrees that rail has an im- age problem as a career – one that it
needn’t have.
Gil Howarth, chief executive of the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering (NSARE) is one of those tasked with turn- ing perceptions round.
He told RTM: “It’s got a terrible image, but the railways of the world are probably the fastest growing sector out there. If you get a qualification, or are an apprentice or become a graduate going into railway engi- neering or operations, you’ve actually got a job for life and can work anywhere in the world. That’s a pretty exciting prospect – but we’re not getting that message across.
“I’m not suggesting we want people to get a qualification here and then leave, but there is that opportunity to become a ‘global player’.”
Rob Mullen, a senior driver manager with train operator c2c and chairman of the Young Railway Professionals, agreed.
He said: “It’s about making the railway a Gil Howarth
career option. People see trains, but they don’t see a job or a career, they just see a way of getting to work or university or go- ing into town. It’s not seen as a viable ca- reer option.
Rob Mullen
“People may think it’s a drab place to work – but they don’t see the ingenuity that goes on behind the scenes. They might experi- ence a signal failure or be delayed by two minutes, but don’t know anything about the technology that makes things actually work.
Steve Ray Tim Dugher
“Our trains hold more passengers than a jumbo jet, we can travel at twice the speed of a British motorway, we can change power supplies mid-journey, we have on- board wi-fi, regenerative braking, we cross European boundaries, run individual units for 22 of 24 hours a day, while dealing with a mix of signalling systems.
These things don’t happen without serious hard work, but ask anyone outside the in- dustry and they will ask about the ‘wrong type of snow’! Where are our concept trains? Let Steve Jobs and Apple have a go at it; let’s have the first iTrain. Imagine the
possibilities – that’s a project for a young mind.
“We certainly don’t do enough to make it attractive to young people. Even for those already interested in engineering, if they look online and see Ferrari’s web page and a rail web page, there’s no question which they’re going to click.
“We were keen to help with iRail because I recognise what the railway has given to me and my family. It’s been hugely good. It’s a stable industry where you can go and gain skills. A lot of people will come to the rail industry by pure accident – but they don’t leave. It’s a big industry, but has a small in- dustry feel in a sense.
“For young people coming out of college or university, or just starting out looking for a job, it’s a firm and solid career where there aren’t many real careers any more.”
Steve Ray, area general manager for the East Midlands, responsible for the London St Pancras to Chesterfield and Nottingham route, said: “It’s very important to get more young people into the industry.
rail technology magazine Feb/Mar 11 | 51
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