Infrastructure support services provider SWGR is continuing to spearhead the drive to inspire the younger generation to consider a career in rail after it announced a new college partnership.
The rail industry has a high working age profile and as many retire in the coming years, there is not enough new resource learning skills in the industry to replace them. Businesses, therefore, are required to step up and steer new young and talented individuals to consider a career in rail. SWGR has taken this responsibility very seriously – and its latest partnership with Glasgow Kelvin College will provide huge benefits to students as they learn and gain significant electrification and mechanical services experience.
As well as industry-specific insight, SWGR develops these essential partnerships to generate new skills for young people to work in a railway environment and, alongside their studies, provides real shifts alongside experienced frontline colleagues for vital work experience.
With more than 120,000 people needed on the railways over the next 10 years to complete works (according to research from NSAR and City and Guilds), partnerships like this are essential in training more people to work on the railways.
SWGR is working closely with other educational establishments to not only nurture potential talent, but also to provide jobs for those graduating from relevant NVQ courses.
Raymond Johnstone, Head of Scot-Train, said: “We have a duty in which we must nurture the talent of tomorrow and provide them with jobs in the rail sector. The approach that we need to take is to work more cohesively and collaboratively with educational establishments to create a fluid pathway into rail. Without this approach, the industry will not be able to
complete the projects it needs to in order to maintain the railways. That is the stark reality we face – we have to support the next generation of railway people.
“It is therefore of paramount importance that SWGR creates working partnerships with colleges and universities to use the skills graduates learn and apply them where they are needed within rail. We take this responsibility very seriously.
“It takes a significant amount of time and investment to train new people to work on the railways due to the safety-critical nature of the work, so by creating partnerships like this with Glasgow Kelvin College, we are able to shorten that timeframe should they come to work with us after their studies, as well as give all students a huge opportunity to develop valuable skills and essential work experience which will give them an advantage as soon as they leave college.
“SWGR is on a mission to bridge the skills gap as soon as possible and our college partnerships are already paying dividends.”
To find out more about the partnership, visit the Glasgow Kelvin College website.
Photo credit: SWGR
