The biggest railway electrification programme for a generation is now under way. So infrastructure provider Network Rail is working hard to ensure that it has enough engineers to oversee the huge amount of overhead line design and installation activity that is taking place on routes across the country.
That recruitment process is illustrated by the development of a scheme that is taking engineers from other railway disciplines, and indeed other sectors, and converting them into electrical engineering specialists. The scheme – launched in collaboration with industry partners such as Carillion and Balfour Beatty – has recently produced its first batch of electrification engineers who are about to embark on their new careers.
The criteria are relatively flexible. Network Rail is on the look-out for HND- or degree-qualified engineers with work-based experience who are keen to forge a career on what it describes as infrastructure projects of national importance. Railway engineering may or may not have been an option that the candidates have considered before. Network Rail expects to recruit from sectors such as mining, nuclear fuels, construction and the armed forces.
The conversion programme is spread over nine months, equipping candidates with a solid bank of railway-specific electrical engineering experience, as well as leading to a highly regarded industry qualification. Throughout the programme, the recruits will be expected to spend periods receiving classroom-based tuition at Sheffield Hallam University and Network Rail’s residential training centre in Coventry, alternated with time spent on-site, on the job. This blended learning will give the opportunity to put newfound skills into practice, says Network Rail.
The on-site training will see candidates tackling basic tasks and then developing onto more advanced technical railway engineering as they progress through the programme. This will mean liaising with people at all levels within the organisation, as well as those who will eventually become colleagues in the final postings at the end of the course.
Salaries when joining the scheme will be between £32,000 and £34,000. The programme will culminate in the achievement of a postgraduate diploma in railway infrastructure engineering awarded by Sheffield Hallam University. Successful candidates will then be employed in one of Network Rail’s infrastructure projects teams or one of its partner organisations.
Network Rail says the sheer amount of electrification work planned over the next 10 years means that there will be ample scope for career progression. Ongoing professional support and development will be provided to further the knowledge base of those who have ‘converted’.
The conversion course caught the eye of Tim Nichols, a mechanical engineer who studied at the University of Birmingham. Since graduating in 2007, Nichols had spent his career in the steel manufacturing sector, latterly heading the design team at light-gauge steel specialist the Hadley Group.
“It was a good company to work for,” he says. “But I had got to the stage where there was little opportunity for career progression within an engineering role. I’d have had to consider a move into an operations or commercially focused role. I wanted to carry on using my engineering skills.”
Nichols was attracted by the structured nature of the training on offer on the conversion course. “I felt that the mixture of academic and hands-on content around electrification would quickly bring me up to speed,” he says.
“Secondly, I felt that electrification was a massively growing sector – there is plenty of opportunity for years to come. And I suppose that something deep down in me wanted to get involved in the railway sector.”
Boots on ballast: Tim Nichols and George Hayllar visit a test track at Walsall as part of their course
The nine-month course featured a total of 10 accredited modules in areas such as mechanical design, power distribution and substation design, project management, and pure and applied mathematics. Some of the modules required presentations, and others involved examinations. Some took place at Sheffield Hallam University, while others were held at Network Rail’s training facilities.
“The course really pushed me, it was hard work. But it was really enjoyable,” says Nichols.
“There was plenty of opportunity to get boots on ballast and get your hands on some kit. We also had presentations from real industry experts. And then there were secondments within other parts of the rail network.
“It was a great experience, providing a broad range of skills.”
Nichols has just completed the course and has been allocated a role as an overhead-line engineer. His workload is varied – ranging from involvement on big projects on the Great Western Railway through to smaller chunks of work such as remodelling short stretches of track.
“My division is effectively a design consultancy within Network Rail,” he says. “We draw up designs and produce diagrams and plans. It is really varied work.”
Although he has only recently qualified as an electrical engineer, Nichols says he doesn’t feel overawed by his responsibilities. “I feel ready,” he says. “I learnt an incredible amount of useful information in nine months. Indeed, I believe I know a lot more about allied disciplines than many more senior people who may have worked in overhead-line engineering design for many years.
“And I fully expect to keep learning to make sure my knowledge keeps moving forward.”
Nichols says he thoroughly recommends the conversion course to other mechanical engineers. “Don’t be put off by the word ‘electrification’,” he says. “Much of the work involves big bits of mechanical equipment. It is said that the overhead-line system is 80% mechanical engineering, 15% civil and structural engineering and 5% electrical engineering.”
He adds: “There’s an awful lot of electrification work to be done over the next 10 years. We need the right people with the right skillset.”
George Hayllar is another recruit who has just passed through the conversion scheme, becoming an assistant project engineer, helping to electrify routes on the Great Western main line. Hayllar studied mechanical engineering at the University of Bath, graduating in 2003. Since then he has worked in a wide variety of sectors, including telecoms system design engineering, building services, and more recently as a timber-frame designer in the construction industry.
He felt ready for a career change and spotted details of the course on Network Rail’s website. “It seemed like an opportunity that was too good to turn down,” he says. “There are not many companies who are willing to invest in retraining more experienced people like myself.”
He was also impressed by the kinds of tasks he would be expected to carry out once qualified. “Working on the railway has always attracted me from an engineering point of view,” he says. “The railway is a hugely complex system that involves multiple disciplines. The work in turn is very varied and challenging, which appealed to me.”
Hayllar says he met plenty of new people while on the course. “I really enjoyed working closely with a diverse range of people. I also enjoyed learning a brand-new job.
“The course was a mixture of classroom lectures, activities and work placements. Many of the lectures were delivered by experts in their fields from across the industry. Network Rail has recently refurbished its main training centre at Westwood in Coventry, so this was a particularly nice place to learn.
“Help was given to organise placements locally, and it was then up to us to make the best use of these and learn from as many people as possible.”
Hayllar is now about to embark on his new career as an assistant project engineer on the Great Western Railway. He says he has no regrets about changing direction. “I would recommend the conversion course to other engineers. I have not had a dull day since joining the scheme, and there will continue to be plenty of varied, exciting opportunities in the future.”