Northampton, UK, 2015-Jun-26
With just over three months to go before the new National Training Academy for Rail (NTAR) opens the doors to its first students, collaboration partners - the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering (NSARE) and Siemens – have released new images to celebrate practical building completion.
The workshop at the new National Training Academy for Rail (NTAR)
Construction of the facility began in July 2014 with an ambitious timetable to open its doors to the industry in autumn 2015. Key elements include:
- A large, fully-fitted workshop
- State of the art virtual reality suite
- An ERTMS / ETCS room
- A digital railway room
- An area dedicated to railway electrification
General Manager Simon Rennie commented:
“This is a really exciting time for NTAR. The physical building is now complete and we can move to the final stage before opening – fitting out the interior, installing the remaining state of the art training aids and equipment and run-throughs of the training courses and programmes on offer.”
He continued:
“We are on time and on budget, a real achievement within such a short build timeframe, and are looking forward to the formal opening in the autumn. Our first intake of students from South West Trains is due in October and the Rail Engineering Apprenticeship Group are also set to make full use of the facility that month.”
NTAR will offer 20,000 man days of training per year and will act as a national ‘hub’ with regional ‘spokes’ located at other train care facilities around the country. The bespoke state-of-the-art facility, which is located in Northampton, will combine the use of unique hands-on equipment and workshop facilities in addition to classroom-based teaching using cutting edge technology. It was established in response to a forecast skills shortage of around 4,000 people over the next five years, caused by factors such as an ageing workforce, the technological advancement of rolling stock, and investment and growth in the industry.
An innovative agreement between NSARE and the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) with support from the Department for Transport (DFT) has provided half the funds required to build NTAR, with Siemens contributing the other 50 per cent. The 50/50 funding agreement will release 50% of the academy’s training capacity to the wider UK industry, with the remainder used by Siemens own rail sector employees.
ENDS
Notes to editors
For images and additional materials, visit www.ntar.co.uk
Press contacts
For Siemens:
Emma Whitaker
Tel : 07921 246942
For NSARE:
Stefan Berci
Tel: 07980 609887
About the National Training Academy for Rail - NTAR
At NTAR, our ambition is to be recognised as an international Centre of Excellence for training in traction and rolling stock – to be the source of pride for the rail industry, acting as a flagship for skills development and for collaborative working, delivering a successful and sustainable model.
Born from an immediate need to train a workforce to maintain the new Thameslink rolling stock, a unique and more ambitious public/private partnership across government, agencies and private enterprise was developed to address the Traction and Rolling Stock training needs of the market more widely. From this partnership, NTAR was created with a core objective of playing a leading role in the new Railway Skills development programmes being driven by NSARE – all underpinned by strong collaborative working and consultation with the market to make sure prioritised needs of the industry are met.
About Siemens
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is No. 1 in offshore wind turbine construction, a leading supplier of combined cycle turbines for power generation, a major provider of power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal year 2014, which ended on September 30, 2014, Siemens generated revenue from continuing operations of €71.9 billion and net income of €5.5 billion. At the end of September 2014, the company had around 357,000 employees worldwide.
About the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering – NSARE
Following two years of research and development, the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering (NSARE) was established in November 2010, when the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, Vince Cable, announced that the UK Government would support the Business Plan. NSARE Limited was incorporated in January 2011 as a ‘not for profit’ company, wholly owned by its Members and ‘opened for business’ from its National Office in central London.
The corporate Membership scheme was launched at its first national conference in June 2011; today it has over 350 Member organisations and is still growing. Membership includes railway companies, private sector training companies, Further Education Colleges, Universities, Qualification Development and Awarding Organisations. Two-thirds of NSARE Members are SMEs.
The five key areas of activity are:
- Forecasting the skills challenges to deliver the railway of the future
- Promoting the rail industry in schools, colleges and universities
- Developing the railway engineering skills standards and qualifications
- Accrediting the railway engineering training provision
- Supporting competency management processes and systems
