Friday 2 Jul 2010
RAIL APPRENTICES ON TRACK TO WORK IN STAFFORD
- Region & Route:
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. Included in this is Stafford depot, which has taken on four apprentices.
The apprentices specialise in track, signalling, electrification and plant, property works and mechanical locking. 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.
Steve Featherstone, director of 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.
“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.”
Sadie Burns, an 18-year-old Network Rail electrification and plant apprentice from Rugeley commented on the scheme: “When leaving school I didn’t really know where or what I wanted to go into work wise. I grew up around the railway and knew that Network Rail was a great company to work for. I then read about the scheme and instantly believed it was for me, and so far I’m not wrong. To me, it’s a once in a life time opportunity to begin to build a career, gain qualifications and independence whilst living away from home.
Notes to editors
About the Network Rail Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme
A three-year programme that equips them with the skills and experience to become a maintenance engineering technician. One of the first things they need to do is decide which area of engineering they 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 them the chance to work in a critical area of the business, where their development will continue beyond the three years of the scheme.
Paid Learning
In the first year, they 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 them, pay for their 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. Again in the first year, their leave is planned for them and Network Rail will pay for them to travel home for long weekends and Christmas, Easter and summer holidays.
Qualifications
After three years, they 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
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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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