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Rising tuition fees and heavily over-subscribed degree courses mean that youngsters are looking for alternative ways to progress their learning and kick-start their careers. That was certainly the case for Ashley White, a 23-year old from Farnborough in Hampshire. He didn’t fancy leaving university with huge debts and no guarantee of a job – so he decided to embark on an apprenticeship. And he hasn’t looked back since.
“Going to university just didn’t grab me,” he says. “I was worried about leaving with large debts and the prospect of actually finding a job at the end seemed fairly remote. Also I’ve always been quite practical-minded, so I wanted to do something that gave me some hands-on experience.”
White chanced upon the National Apprenticeship Service website and applied for one of 16 places on a three-year work-based rail signalling apprenticeship scheme from Thales. In total, more than 200 people applied for a place on the scheme. Set against such tough competition, White had to go through an arduous selection procedure that included a written application, group exercises at an assessment centre and a one-on-one interview before being told he’d won a place.
The rail signalling apprentice scheme enables White and his fellow recruits to ‘earn while they learn’, building skills and experience while at the same time earning a competitive annual starting salary. The scheme was created to enable Thales to meet future needs and grow the company’s technical skills base at a time when major railway infrastructure projects such as Crossrail and Thameslink are about to come on-stream.
The apprentices divide their time between on-the-job training at Thales sites across the UK and classroom-based learning (completed within the first year at City of Westminster College), enabling them to gain a range of qualifications and experience. All apprentices are assigned a mentor from Thales who helps to guide and encourage them throughout the process, allowing them to maximise their potential and take advantage of devel-opment opportunities along the way.
“I’ve just completed my first 12-week block of learning at college and it’s been challenging but good fun,” says White. “We have learnt about health and safety procedures and have begun to understand the wide range of electrical technology that rail signalling involves. There has also been lots of hands-on stuff like designing and building circuit boards.”
White has now embarked on a 12-week block of on-the job training at Thales offices in central London. He will get the chance to work within a project management team on the Jubilee and Northern line upgrades on the Tube, while also sampling life at one of Thales’ rail signaling depots. In each case he expects to work as part of a team being given ‘proper, challenging roles’ with a clear set of objectives.
“The mentor system means there is always someone to learn from, and we do get a lot of support,” he says. “But Thales doesn’t spoon-feed us as apprentices, we are expected to show initiative and get fully involved with what’s going on.”
White has a long way to go until he finishes the three-year apprenticeship. But he has no doubts at all that he made the right decision in following a vocational route into the engineering profession. “I’d advise other young people to consider an apprenticeship,” he says. “When I first started looking, I had a stereotypical view of what an apprenticeship scheme might entail. But there are a massive range of schemes out there, and some really are at the high-technology end. It’s been a purely positive experience.”
And after investing around £100,000 in each of its apprentices over the three-year period, Thales is keen to employ them at the end of their learning. “Skills shortages have been a problem in the rail industry for many years,” says Keith Marshall, Thales’ training manager. “That’s why we are so keen to invest in these youngsters. They are the people who will drive the major rail engineering projects of the future.”
Transport is big business for Thales
Thales supplies technology and systems expertise to transport networks around the world. The company’s markets in the UK are urban rail, mainline rail and roads, where its products include signalling (train control, axle counters, interlockings, train protection and warning systems, services), supervision and control, integrated communications, security and information management. Clients include Transport for London, Network Rail, London Underground, DLR, Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive and various train operating companies.