Tuesday 21 Sep 2010
EAST MIDLANDS APPRENTICES BEGIN THREE YEAR TRACK TO SUCCESS
- Region & Route:
Network Rail’s award winning advanced apprenticeship scheme has taken on 201 apprentices across Britain this month after receiving a staggering 4150 applications. The trainees have begun a three year programme to become skilled maintenance engineering technicians with six of them heading to work in the East Midlands.
The apprentices will spend a year training alongside the Royal Navy at Europe’s largest engineering training facility at HMS Sultan in Hampshire. Here they will learn both the technical skills required to work on the railway as well as attending leadership courses. They will continue their training for two further years on-the-job at depots across the country, returning to HMS Sultan for additional courses and learning. The apprentices specialise in track, signalling and telecoms, electrification and plant, property works and mechanical locking.
Steve Featherstone, director of infrastructure maintenance at Network Rail said: "Britain relies on rail so it is vital to invest in our people and our future with apprenticeships. We’re training the next generation of specialists with the latest technology to deliver this success in a modern, efficient way – it’s a career that brings great value to Britain. The scheme underlines Network Rail’s commitment to deliver a bigger, better-value railway with skilled and committed people.”
Matt King, a third year signalling apprentice based in Derby, added: “For me the best thing about the apprenticeship scheme is the way in which it develops skills in independent learning; whether it’s extra assignments in the first year or the work based learning objectives and time spent on track in the second.
“Also I really enjoy the time spent working with various teams and functions because they are all so supportive. I’ve asked many questions about the job and I’ve never been left without an answer; sometimes people have really gone out of their way to help me out and I think that shows what a good working environment there is within this company.”
Notes to editors
About the Network Rail Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme
A three-year programme that equips you with the skills and experience to become a maintenance engineering technician. One of the first things you need to do is decide which area of engineering you want to focus on.
There are seven engineering programmes: track, signals, electrification and plant, signal design, property works, mechanical locking and telecoms. Each one gives you the chance to work in a critical area of the business, where your development will continue beyond the three years of the scheme.
Paid Learning
In the first year, apprentices will be paid £8,400 + £1,150 when they successfully finish the year; the salary will rise to £11,750 in the second; and £14,000 in the third.
In the first year, Network Rail will also feed, pay for accommodation and provide the clothing and personal protective equipment that they need – including safety boots, cargo trousers and a fleece. There are plenty of holidays: 28 days plus bank holidays in total. Network Rail will pay for apprentices to travel home for long weekends and Christmas, Easter and summer holidays.
Qualifications
After three years, apprentices will have the qualifications (NVQ, BTec and ILM (Institute of Leadership and Management)) and skills to develop a long-term career with Network Rail. Many apprentices complete their first year and soon start to think about their career options – and many set their sights on becoming technical officers, team leaders or managers. There are even further opportunities to study a foundation degree for those who demonstrate the commitment and ability.
Visit: http://careers.networkrail.co.uk/apprentices for more information on Network Rail's advanced apprentice scheme
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office -London North Eastern & East Midlands route
01904 383180
mediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk