Northampton, 2016-Oct-18
The new Standard forms part of the highly successful Siemens-SWT apprentice training programme, now in its third year, with the first cohort due to enroll this month.
Developed over two years by industry employers, including Transport for London, Network Rail, SWT, and Siemens, the Standard aims to provide apprentices with technical, professional and occupational competence in rail engineering.
The three-stage training programme will teach apprentices the fundamentals of engineering while also covering advanced subjects, including project management and rail-specific units such as passenger comfort and traction conversion. The final stage will place apprentices in the workplace, where they will develop further business-specific skills and complete their End Point Assessment.
NTAR’s apprenticeship programme already has a proven track record of delivering high-performing engineers to the workplace. With the launch of this Standard, apprentices will not only benefit from NTAR’s cutting-edge training centre but will also receive the support of two leading industry employers alongside a leading engineering FE provider.
Dan Walker, Head of Apprenticeship Delivery at NTAR, said:
“The Siemens-SWT programme has grown over the years, and the introduction of the new Standard has allowed us to take it to the next level. The learning experience that these organisations now offer together is powerful. It really sets the standard for collaboration and apprenticeship training in the industry.”
Rob Hulson, Apprentice and Graduate Manager at South West Trains, said:
“Our partnership has led to amazing results so far and it’s something I’m really proud to be a part of.
“With the demands of modern trains and new technology, the next generation of engineers need to be trained to the highest possible level. Through this partnership our apprentices have the chance to build an exciting and fulfilling career within an ever-changing industry.”
Steve Dingsdale, Managing Director at CEMAST, said:
“We passionately believe that the development of young people, with the right engineering skills and knowledge, is essential for the future economic prosperity of the UK.
“The development of our partnership with Siemens and South West Trains has been very successful. We look forward to working with them on the new apprenticeship standard to ensure it fills the emerging skills gaps and produces the highly skilled technicians required within the rail industry too.”
ENDS
Press contacts
Silke Thomson-Pottebohm, Siemens
Tel: 07808 822780
Email: silke.thomson-pottebohm@siemens.com
Alison Emery, Siemens
Tel: 07808 827784
Email: alison.emery@siemens.com
Notes to editors
For images, build and fly through video animations and additional materials, visit www.ntar.co.uk.
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 gas and steam 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 2015, which ended on September 30, 2015, Siemens generated revenue of €75.6 billion and net income of €7.4 billion. At the end of September 2015, the company had around 348,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.
About South West Trains
South West Trains is one of Europe's busiest commuter train operators, running around 1700 trains a day out of London Waterloo covering routes through Hampshire, Surrey, Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Devon, Somerset and Greater London, serving a mixture of commuters and longer-distance travellers. More than half a million passengers use South West Trains services every day. Island Line services on the Isle of Wight are also operated by South West Trains.
About Fareham CEMAST
The Centre of Excellence for Engineering and Manufacturing Advanced Skills Training (CEMAST) opened in September 2014, delivering training to a wide range of students and apprentices across a range of engineering and manufacturing disciplines.CEMAST’s students have the technical skills and knowledge, combined with a unique high aspiration and high expectations outlook, formed through their relationships with CEMAST staff and the Centre’s industrial partners. The Centre continues to attract significant attention from local and national employers and is enrolling students and apprentices throughout the year.
About NTAR
At NTAR, our ambition is to be recognised as an international Centre of Excellence for training in traction and rolling stock – to be a source of pride for the rail industry, acting as a flagship for skills development and for collaborative working.
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 NSAR – all underpinned by strong collaborative working and consultation with the market to make sure prioritised needs of the industry are met.
About National Skills Academy for Railway (NSAR)
NSARE was established in November 2010, and NSARE Limited was incorporated in January 2011 as a ‘not for profit’ company, wholly owned by its Members. In December 2015, we dropped the ‘E’ from our name to reflect the wider industry view that we focus on all aspects of the rail industry not just the engineering elements. Today we have in excess of 360 member organisations, and in June 2013 we were presented with our BS 11000 Certificate of Registration for Collaborative Business Relationships. NSAR is the epitome of collaboration; it has been developed by the industry for the industry to fulfill the strategic role of developing and implementing the skills strategy, which supports the industry’s vision to create a modern and efficient, value for money, world class railway through the development of a highly skilled and productive workforce. NSAR coordinates industry efforts in attracting and promoting new talent to enable the rail sector to be competitively positioned with other industries. In collaboration with our members, universities, colleges and training providers we establish a modern qualification framework and apprentice programme that will increase competency across the sector. We support trainers and ensure the quality of training provision is of a high standard.
