iRail 2011
“The acid test is, how many jobs will there be for people training now? It’s not yet clear, though there is massive investment.
“The vital thing about days like iRail is that we’ve planted a seed of an idea about the railways in the minds of these kids, and they will remember it when they come to make their GCSE and career choices. They’ll think about it. For a town like Derby, with a huge railway heritage, for some reason we’ve lost that over the last few years.”
I started as a 16-year-old in the railway industry 35 years ago, but the railway op- erations route through which I came in just doesn’t exist any more.
“Technology has moved on. I was a box boy, in a signal box, working shifts with a signalmen, booking trains in and out of the station, advising the announcer what plat- form which train was coming in on, keep the signal box clean, and brewing tea! But by 18 I was a signaller myself, before be- coming a signal inspector then progressing into management. With technology now, you don’t need a box boy or a messenger. Everything’s computerised.
“But there are still opportunities and the fact events like iRail exist is fantastic. I want to promote our advanced apprentice- ship scheme in Portsmouth. It’s been going since 2006; every year we recruit young railway engineers aged 17-19, and they go off to Portsmouth for a year to train, then come out into railway maintenance, and get a choice of track, signalling, overhead line or telecoms, then go out for a further two years of on-the-job training. We got 1,800 applications for 200 places this year, which shows that there is demand out there.”
Howarth and NSARE will also have a huge role in training the next generation of rail- way workers.
He explained: “We’re still just six weeks and three days into NSARE, but we’ve had some amazing success at getting industry sup- port. For instance, Network Rail, London Underground, GoSkills, the Academy and national contractors are sitting down to de- cide what competencies and qualifications we need and how we shape them to actually create a career path for young people join- ing the industry, which hasn’t been done since the days of British Rail.
“We’ve got our head office open within the 52 | rail technology magazine Feb/Mar 11
NSARE chief executive Gil Howarth (left), with the rest of the iRail 2011 judging panel.
ATOC offices in London, and have ap- proved a strategy for going right across the country, with people working from satel- lite desks in the regions. We’re going to start recruiting people. NSARE is the glue binding things together – there are already 100-plus training organisations out there. We’re aware of 580 trainers and assessors, and yet they’re not joined up.”
Mullen agreed, saying: “Most TOCs do their own version of PTS (personal track safety) for their drivers and staff, which isn’t the same as doing a Sentinel PTS, which isn’t the same as others again. c2c does its own cost card, which is not the same as a Network Rail card, and so on – it’s not transferable. The brilliance of NSARE is it creating that universal level where student x or driver y can go and work across the country and still get ac- credited, rather than companies holding onto people and stopping them transfer- ring their skills and qualifications. It will give people more opportunities.
“We need to look at customer service too and learn lessons from other industries. Not one of the train operators are in the top 100 graduate employers. This is the public-facing arm of the railway. The TOCs were the first to get rid of their graduate schemes, when money got tight. They got rid of their future, the people who brought new ideas in, which was a real shame. These are multinational companies – they should be able to make that top 100.”
Tim Dugher, chief operating officer of Angel Trains and chairman of the railway division at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, was the distinguished lecturer at the event.
He said: “If I was starting again, would I find it an attractive career? I look at all the challenges and opportunities and key things that need to happen in the industry.
Howarth agreed that events like iRail could really help. He said: “The Academy sponsored iRail jointly, and what we’ve done with the Smallpeice Trust is go from 60 to 600 schoolkids. The message, very clearly is telling them that there is a ca- reer here and it is exciting. They’re going to see the signalling centre – it’s more like NASA. Train control systems today are as sophisticated as anything in the world. The trains are incredibly sophisticated and to work on them is very exciting. It’s not about grease, and scruff, and dirt.
“On customer service, there’s a lesson to be learned from London Underground. They decided they couldn’t carry on with broken PA systems and scruffy, uncom- municative people on the platforms. Now, every driver is an excellent communicator. If a tube comes to a halt, you now know exactly why, and you have an estimate of how long you’re going to be sat there, and everybody’s calm. Every platform guy helps people on and off the trains; the job is helping the public.
“When I joined the railways, the attitude was that the public were a bloody nui- sance! Seriously – ‘If only the people didn’t get on, the trains would run on time’. I’m not saying that’s still the case today, but we have a lot to learn from TfL I think and we must communicate with the travelling public.
“Ridership has withstood the challenge of the recession and is still increasing. The railways did very well in the spending re- view, big projects were safeguarded. In the UK we can see a workload ten years and beyond, then the investment throughout the world is amazing.
“China, last year, announced 40 or more metros! It shouldn’t be seen as just a UK job. If you’re ambitious, you can work practically anywhere. UK rail expertise is seen as the best in the world.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit
www.youngrailwayprofessionals.org www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/1086.aspx
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