Richard Review
present in the rail industry prevents the traditional audience for apprenticeships – young people – undertaking this kind of on-the-job training, especially as this is the principal form of government funding available for training.
‘Many employers have found their hands tied as full funding for apprenticeships is only available for 16-18 year olds, while 19-24 year olds only get part-funded.
‘This shows in the numbers of people completing rail apprenticeships: since April 2012 only 11 people completed an apprenticeship ranging in age from 22 to 31. That means that no employer would have been eligible for the maximum allowance to pay for this training,’ says Asker-Browne.
The Richard Review does offer a glimmer of hope for businesses that would like to provide more on-the- jobtraining, with the recommendation that the government promote apprenticeships to a far broader age range, and offer funding for vocational training other than apprenticeships. Asker-Browne believes this would be a welcome development in that it would open the doors to a wider range of vocational training for rail employees. ‘At the moment, attracting younger
people into the industry is difficult – working in rail is currently seen as a second or third career option. We need to make sure we promote the fantastic career options that are available and show them the career paths and progression routes that are available to them from a young age. They can work their way up to an apprenticeship.’
One aspect that may affect this possibility, however, is the interpretation and implementation of a number of the other recommendations in the review. ‘The recommendation that
apprenticeships should only be offered for new job roles will no doubt cause concern, especially in areas such as engineering and the electrification of rail, which are two growing areas within the huge rail programmes taking place throughout the UK,’ said Asker-Browne. ‘There are already significant skills gaps in these two areas and restricting access to funding for on-the-job training is not going to help matters at all. ‘I think it’s safe to say in this case that the devil will be in the detail; the ‘if’ and ‘how’ the government interprets and implements this will make a big difference.’
Asker-Browne also believes there could be some issues with the strong
Network Rail Issue New Certificate of Acceptance for Tensar TriAx®
T
emphasis on an exam or test as the final form of assessment at the end of the apprenticeship, saying: ‘We’re not sure that this would be in the learner’s interest.
‘One of the great things about the current system is that apprentices need to show their competence in tasks along the way – it’s built into their learning. With health and safety playing such a huge role – both for staff and the people in their care on the trains – demonstrating that you’re competent in one task before you move onto the next area of learning is highly important. Again, it will come down to how this recommendation is implemented.’
Overall, however, Asker-Browne is positive. ‘We’re keen to work with both the government and employers to help them prepare for any changes that arise from recommendations made in this review.’
Meanwhile, there’s no doubt that an increase in on-the-job training – both in the form of apprenticeships and other vocational training – is the right approach to address skills gaps in the rail industry.
Read the Richard Review of Apprenticeships at
www.gov.uk/government/news/the-richard- review-of-apprenticeships
TX190L Geogrid
in Rail Ballast and Sub-Ballast Applications ensar TriAx®
TX190L geogrid has been developed
specifically to improve rail track ballast stability and so maintain track geometry. Its unique advantages are
recognised in the November 2012 issue of Certificate No. PA05/05505 by Network Rail’s Technology Introduction Group, Asset Management Services. Tensar TX190L (PADS no.
057/100470) can be used for both sub- ballast and ballast stabilisation in new track bed and maintenance upgrades. Its benefits for rail networks include reduced differential settlements, extended maintenance cycles and reduced whole life costs, as well as reduced construction time and traffic disruption with their associated additional costs.
TX190L is a new large aperture version of Tensar’s revolutionary and highly successful TriAx®
large apertures designed to match track ballast particle size. It is also
suitable for recycled aggregates and thus offers further potential cost savings in sub-ballast applications. ‘We have established the value of Tensar geogrid ballast stabilisation solutions,’ comments Cliff Hall, Group Stabilisation Manager for Tensar. Peter Musgrave, Senior Track Bed Design Engineer for
geogrid, with
Network Rail, points out that, currently, more than 10 per cent of all ballast maintenance per year now includes geogrid stabilisation. ‘The Network Rail Certificate of Acceptance enables the industry to take advantage of the stabilisation advances we have made with TX190L compared with earlier rectangular geogrids. As a result, not only could accumulated track bed maintenance costs be halved but also the payback period is less than three ballast tamping cycles.’ The multi award winning TriAx® concept has brought improved mechanical stability and load bearing performance to a number of infrastructure and construction industry applications, since its launch in 2007.
Researchers in the UK and around the world have found that geogrid stabilisation of ballast has led to better preservation of rail line and level; the improvement is found to be three to five times better than a sleeper settlement without geogrid stabilisation, and therefore allows the time between maintenance cycles to be increased. Track bed stabilisation is part of a range of benefits offered by Tensar geogrid technology, including soil stabilisation for slopes and
embankments, retaining walls and bridge abutments, differential settlement protection through mechanical stabilisation over soft subgrades and temporary access roads for construction plant access. For more information please visit the website
www.tensar.co.uk/Market-Sector/Rail
FEBRUARY 2013 PAGE 97
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