Monday 5 Jul 2010
RAIL APPRENTICES GET CAREERS ON TRACK AT EASTLEIGH
- Region & Route:
- | Southern
More than 200 apprentices have started work for real at railway depots across Britain after completing their first year at Europe’s largest engineering training facility at HMS Sultan in Hampshire. One depot benefiting from the award-winning scheme is Eastleigh, which has taken on five apprentices.
The apprentices specialise in track, signalling, electrification and plant and property works. They will work under supervision in teams gaining vital experience over the next two years as they train to become maintenance technicians. They will return to HMS Sultan for further courses and training throughout this time.
Adam Kelsey from Fareham is one of the apprentices who joined the Eastleigh depot. He specialises in mechanical locking, the system which uses manual leavers in signal boxes to control points and signals in various locations across the South East. Revealing the best part of being a Network Rail apprentice, he said: “The scheme definitely encourages you to grow as an individual during the year you are away from home. I know that it has made me more independent and able to stand on my own two feet.
”At the training academy there are some great courses to get involved with and there are plenty of activities too, both inside and outside the scheme such as playing rugby, football, skydiving and many more. It’s also a great way to meet new people from all over the country.”
Richard O’Brien, Network Rail’s route director for Wessex, 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.
“Learning on-the-job with experienced teams enables our apprentices to understand the industry and their role far better than they can in just a classroom. Once the training is complete, they are already an important team member helping to deliver a better railway for everyone.”
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 your first year, you will be paid £8,400 + £1,150 when you 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 you, pay for your accommodation and provide the clothing and personal protective equipment that you need – including safety boots, cargo trousers and a fleece. There are plenty of holidays: 28 days plus bank holidays in total. Again in your first year, your leave is planned for you and Network Rail will pay for you to travel home for long weekends and Christmas, Easter and summer holidays.
Qualifications
After three years, you 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
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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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