I want to thank everyone who attended our event on May 28th for the launch of our refreshed strategy. The turnout and the positive contributions from our members and stakeholders were truly appreciated and serve as a strong endorsement for the direction we are taking. Our next step is to refine the longlist of priorities that emerged from our discussions, ensuring they accurately reflect the industry’s skills needs and provide a comprehensive view for the Great British Railways transition. NSAR is committed to playing a central role in gathering this whole-industry perspective, encompassing the entire supply chain.
It was also a privilege to acknowledge the significant contributions of Mike Noakes at the event. Mike is a senior civil servant who has been a consistent source of encouragement and guidance for industry skills strategies and a tireless champion for the supply chain. His insightful direction has been invaluable, and it was an honour to present him with a small token of our appreciation – I thought Mike’s tireless guidance and attendance as he herds the industry to a common goal was well represented by a sheepdog.
I was also excited to announce a new partnership for NSAR. We are joining forces with the Railway Study Network (RSN), formerly the Railway Study Forum, and I will be taking on the role of President of the RSN for 2025. This collaboration will leverage the strengths of both organisations to further enhance knowledge sharing and development within the rail workforce. The RSN hosts a series of annual events, providing a forum for discussing key industry issues. The first of these under our new partnership, is a no-holds-barred conversation between myself and Rob McIntosh, Chair of the TransPennine Route Upgrade Board and former Network Rail Route Managing Director, on June 11.
It was recently announced that the age for train driver apprentices has been lowered from 21 to 18. This is good news – especially because analysis done by the NSAR Skills Intelligence Unit shows that train driver gender balance isn’t improving as quickly as other roles. I want to commend the excellent work of Barry Smith, NSAR’s Head of Assessment and Skills, and his team on updating train driver apprenticeships. Their collaborative efforts with the industry have led to significant improvements in achievement pass rates and are contributing to easing the current shortages in this critical role, as well as opening up access to £107m for the training market. Let’s keep up the good work – and continue with efforts to encourage more women to enter, and stay in, the industry.