Tuesday 2 Nov 2010
NETWORK RAIL TRAINS NEXT GENERATION OF ENGINEERS
- Region & Route:
- National
Network Rail is helping to bring engineering learning to life at The JCB Academy. From this week students will learn about how modern engineering technology is used to run Britain's railways, with two specialist rail challenges, devised by experts at Network Rail.
Students aged between 14 and 18 will take part in two eight-week challenges on level crossings and on the materials used to maintain the railway. Graduates from Network Rail will help to deliver the learning with academy tutors.
Nigel Ward, professional development manager at Network Rail said: "If we are to really engage students in engineering and inspire them to go on to further learning, it’s crucial that we show them how what they learn in the classroom can be delivered in real life. Working on projects that our engineers have to do all the time will help the students understand the realities and drive them to create practical solutions.
"Britain’s economy relies on a modern, safe and efficient railway. Investing in training the best engineers for the future will help secure future success. We are proud to work with The JCB Academy to make this happen."
Jim Wade, Principal of The JCB Academy said: "We are really delighted to have the opportunity to work alongside Network Rail in developing the Engineers and Business Leaders of the future. The JCB Academy is working to make engineering an real aspiration for many young people. Engineering has so many exciting projects around which education can be brought to life. This can not be achieved without key players in the industry such as Network Rail becoming involved and demonstrating to students how they go about solving engineering challenges. The commitment from Network Rail staff has been absolutely fantastic and should be a real model for other organisations to follow."
Notes to editors
The level crossing challenge seeks to reinforce the key safety messages of Network Rail’s 'Don’t Run the Risk' campaign, whilst practising valuable engineering skills surrounding control technologies. The challenge requires the students to identify the key features of an automatic level crossing, understand and select appropriate input and output devices, develop a computer program to control the system, and design a fault-finding system for their crossing. During this process they will also need to effectively manage their project, undertaking stakeholder consultation, goal setting and evaluation, and understanding project management techniques and carrying out a 'lessons learnt' process.
For the Level 3 diploma, Network Rail is engaging the students with one of the key challenges faced by the rail industry for many decades. Aligned to their 'Engineering Materials' module, the Network Rail challenge teaches students about the creation and selection of appropriate materials for a variety of equipment that is used throughout the railway. The tasks focus on the properties of rail steels, particularly those used for switches and crossings, enabling the students to understand the link between the specific engineering requirements of a material and its inherent properties. Alongside this, the students will be engaged in a wide range of material testing techniques, including the variety of non-destructive techniques that are used on the railway.
About The JCB Academy:
The JCB Academy is an exciting new school for students from the age of 14 who are interested in business and engineering.
This is the first of a brand new kind of school in the United Kingdom, focused on delivering high-quality engineering and business education.
At The JCB Academy, the curriculum and learning techniques are unique, allowing students to combine theory with practical activities: putting learning into practice in our purpose-built, state-of-the-art facilities. Our students all benefit from a wide range of extension activities, allowing them exceptional opportunities to pursue many different interests outside the main curriculum.
www.jcbacademy.com
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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.
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