Media centre

Monday 6 Feb 2012

WEST MIDLANDS WOMEN WHO WANT DEGREES URGED TO TAKE THE APPRENTICE ROUTE

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Network Rail is looking for four people to fill apprenticeship vacancies at its depots in Sandwell and Saltley and is encouraging more women to apply.

Many young women are missing out on a career in engineering because subject choices they made pre-GCSE mean traditional university routes are closed to them, according to Network Rail. A rail apprenticeship can reopen those academic doors.

The vacancies cover railway signalling and electrification & plant. This is maintenance of signal supply points, high and low voltage equipment and switchgear, air conditioning equipment, 650v signalling cable work and wiring and re-wiring of electrical relay rooms.

Network Rail is funding around 40 apprentices a year to further their education with a part-time HNC in engineering. The best are then supported to do foundation degrees, undergraduate degrees and reach chartered engineering status.

Today (Monday 6 Feb), the start of National Apprenticeship Week, 200 places are up for grabs across Britain on Network Rail’s advanced apprenticeship scheme for 2012. Applicants can visit a new Facebook page www.facebook.com/ontrack with videos, profiles and content managed by current apprentices who can respond directly to any enquiries and showcase the opportunities on offer.

 

Official figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that women get better grades at university than men with 66% achieving a first or 2:1 compared to 60% of men. However, only 15% of people taking engineering or technology undergraduate degrees are women.

A focus group with women on the Network Rail scheme revealed that recognised qualifications and the opportunity for further training and development were one of the main reasons they were attracted to joining the company.

Commenting on the new campaign, Network Rail head of resourcing Adrian Thomas said: “We recruit smart and ambitious women and men through our apprenticeship scheme who we know if supported can go on to higher academic achievement. As a growing sector, rail needs to recruit and retain top quality engineers for the future.

“Our recruitment experience tells us that many young people find the route to higher education in engineering closed because of their GCSE choices, which has a knock on effect to A level and degree options. By reopening the academic doors to those who have not taken the traditional route, we hope to attract more talented women to apply and nurture that engineering expertise that will make our business stronger, more successful and better value for the British public.”

Former apprentice, now maintenance team leader in Rugby, Camilla Banner, 24, is studying for the HNC in Engineering through Network Rail. She said: “At school it was as if there were only two options – do A levels or go to college and then onto university, but I didn’t really want to do either, particularly if I was going to get into a huge amount of debt. An apprenticeship appealed so much more and earning whilst learning was a real motivation.

“The HNC has been great and I want to go further and do the foundation degree and a degree in engineering – I don’t want to stop here. I get asked if I had to go back would I change what’s happened, and I say no – I’d definitely do the apprenticeship again.”