Rail industry leaders call for government strategy update to tackle skills gap

Rail industry leaders have called on the government to update its industrial and rail strategies to help address the skills gap in the sector.

Colleges and industry should also forge closer alliances to ensure qualifications meet everyone’s needs, the bosses said at a recent roundtable, the findings of which are discussed in a new report. 

Attendees at the event, hosted at the National College of Advanced Transport and Infrastructure (NCATI) in Doncaster by supply, maintenance and logistics company CWE, included John Hall of Davis Wagon Services, Christine Fernandes of CAF and Women in Rail, Will Rogers from East Midlands Railway, NCATI’s Alec Gillham, and Barry Smith, head of assessment and skills at the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR).

Solving a “communications disconnect” between organisations, and establishing clearer and more diverse career paths, are vital to attracting new talent to the rail sector, the bosses said.

The report, “Keeping Talent on Track: Addressing the skills shortage in the rail sector”, identified seven key actions to take:

1. “Breach the communications gap: Forging closer alliances between colleges, skills organisations, and industry so qualifications meet the needs of all stakeholders
2. “Share expertise to better engage: Better collaboration to help businesses learn from each other to increase recruitment into the sector
3. “Engage the wider workforce: Senior leadership to encourage the full workforce to champion the sector and create positive workplace cultures
4. “Campaign for clearer national strategies: Government to update and make its Industrial Strategy and Rail Strategy fit for purpose to help address the skills gap in the industry
5. “Learn from other sectors: Engaging with organisations and industry bodies in similar sectors, such as utilities, aerospace and manufacturing, can help companies in the rail industry to learn and apply new thinking 
6. “Celebrate diversity: Combat rail’s image problem by showcasing the variety of careers available and the important role the sector plays in the UK, including its contribution to the green agenda, to attract a more diverse workforce
7. “Better signposting for career pathways: Reduce complexities around access to apprenticeships and where to go for career progression opportunities.” 

“As an industry, it feels like the skills shortage is something we’ve been talking about for a while,” said Nick Andrew, managing director at CWE. 

“The statistics show that time is of the essence. A City & Guilds and NSAR report found that up to 120,000 additional people will be required by 2030, with demand for skills peaking around 2025. And just a third (32%) of respondents say they would consider a career in the rail sector. This is particularly acute amongst women, young adults and people from BAME backgrounds.”

He added: “We want to put our hand up and lead a collective effort to convince the next generation, and those from all backgrounds, that choosing rail will give them the pride and career satisfaction they seek – only then will we solve the looming skills crisis… We’ve gotten the ball rolling and the report outlines some clear actions to take.

“Now it’s up to us to keep this momentum going – we believe rail is a desirable and rewarding career for young people and those from all backgrounds. The time for action is now.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson told Professional Engineering: “The Transport Employment and Skills Taskforce – which brings together leading figures in industry and government – is currently developing recommendations to address skills challenges in the industry.”

The taskforce’s recommendations will include identifying barriers and developing an integrated approach to reduce the industry’s diversity and inclusion challenges, the spokesperson added, and working with stakeholders to make projections of the industry's future training needs.

The report can be downloaded here.