Working in rail is not what it used to be. “The industry was previously heavy and dirty and all things synonymous with standard engineering. Now it’s about systems capability and problem solving”, says Lindsey Smithson, head of site strategy at Alstom’s new training academy in Widnes, Cheshire.
The high tech revolution is giving the sector something of an image makeover. It’s also demanding a new breed of rail engineer, as comfortable in analytics as in practical work. Existing professionals need to update their skills. Industry newcomers need to have more flexible and entrepreneurial mindsets.
With high profile projects such as HS2 and Crossrail adding to the sector-wide clamour for talent, there is a renewed buzz around rail careers. Last year, Alstom had 150 applications for just 14 apprenticeship places. This year, it is more than doubling the number of places on offer.
So it is timely that Alstom’s north-west transport training academy is opening this September. Designed for existing rail hands and industry newcomers alike, the 1,600 sq m facility blends the old with the new. Traditional workshops sit next to classrooms and IT spaces. Many of the classes will be taught by accredited industry professionals, including Alstom employees, who tackle engineering challenges as part of their daily jobs.
“There is nothing like this in the north-west,” Smithson says of this industry-led initiative. “It’s a great opportunity not only to train our own people, but also to support other organisations – our customers, competitors and suppliers - in training theirs. The need is across the industry.”
This year, the focus is on training 65 Alstom staff, including 30 apprentices. From September 2018, the academy will open up to other organisations. Under current plans, it will be providing 12,000 days of training annually by 2020, with 20% of trainees from Alstom, and the remaining 80% from external companies.
The academy is partnering with education providers to deliver its apprenticeships. Students will take generic engineering classes at local colleges, such as Riverside College in Widnes, and then learn rail-specific skills at the academy, with a blend of traditional and digital tools at their disposal.
“We’ll be using tablet technology and laptops, augmented and virtual reality and managing our data in the cloud,” Smithson says.
She adds that, come September, you’ll not only see students with virtual reality headsets in front of 3D screens in classrooms, but also using augmented and virtual reality tools in the workshop.
“Students will be looking at the equipment through [their headsets], watching how standard operating procedures are done,” Smithson comments. “They’ll be learning as they’re looking, and will then perform the same tasks themselves.”
Training will include the safety and maintenance of specific products such as Alstom’s Pendolino tilting trains used on the West Coast Mainline or the Citadis trams that run in many cities including Nottingham, Dublin and Nice. And, given Alstom’s development of emission-free technology (it demonstrated a prototype zero-emission hydrogen train in Berlin last year) Smithson says that modules on areas such as hydrogen traction are a distinct possibility for the future.
Across the sector, the skills of the average rail engineer hover between NVQ level 2 and 3. To cope with the pace of technical innovation, Smithson believes that rail engineers should now be trained to at least NVQ level 4 – equivalent to a bachelor’s degree, higher national certificate or higher national diploma. Her aim is that the academy and its education partners will be offering rail training to NVQ7, equivalent to a master’s degree, by 2020.
Rebecca Taylor, sustainability manager at Alstom says that the apprenticeship model will be flexible, including day release or block release training, taking into account that people can take up apprenticeships at any age and from a variety of backgrounds.
“We’re offering apprenticeships across the company and aren’t targeting an age,” she adds.
Alstom is aiming recruit more women to this historically male environment. Currently, 13% of the company’s technical staff is female, which is higher than the national average - women account for 9% of the UK’s engineering workforce. It is running a variety of initiatives, including a female-only event for local students, to showcase the variety of opportunities that rail now offers.
As the sector becomes increasingly digital, and shifts from heavy to light engineering, Smithson expects rail careers to become more attractive to school and college leavers over the longer term.
“But we do have to get out there and sell it. And we’re actively targeting areas where we can improve diversity, not just for women, but for all groups,” she adds.
Alstom has been supporting the Social Mobility Foundation, a Liverpool charity that mentors teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds into exciting careers. “Around 200 young people are going through the foundation this year, we see great potential for synergies and increasing the diversity of our workforce,” Taylor says.
Smithson adds: “Young people are showing a lot of interest in apprenticeships. It’s a paid route to education, and a good alternative to student debt.”
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