Member Article

New rail track training facility opens at Warwickshire college

A new training facility has been laid at a college in Warwickshire to help develop the next generation of skilled individuals to keep the country’s trains on track.

WCG (formerly Warwickshire College Group) has partnered with RMF Group to create a new simulation rail track facility at Moreton Morrell College.

The track gives learners the chance to perfect their track maintenance skills while working effectively as a team and preparing for a promising career in the rail industry. The new teaching facility has cost more than £78,000 and has been funded by the Department for Education through the Skills Accelerator Development Fund.

It comes after colleges across Coventry and Warwickshire secured more than £5 million in funding through the fund to reshare technical skills training in the region. Mark Bonham, assistant principal at WCG, has overseen the project for the college group. He said: “It’s fantastic to have partnered with RMF on this project, and to see the facility now finished and operational.

“The facility will enable students to gain real-world practical rail skills and also enable them to gain their workplace tickets – making them immediately employable after completing their course with us.

“Learners are able to use the facility to identify a wide range of defects pertinent to the safe passage of trains on the rail infrastructure. All track components are available to encourage the learners to fully integrate with the facility in line with current standards and policies set out by Network Rail.”

RMF Group provides industry standard construction and rail training, to socially disadvantaged candidates, such as offenders in custody and on release, as well as the long-term unemployed.

It specialises in providing CSCS and CPCS accredited plant qualifications to up-skill individuals and give them the platform to succeed.

Rachel Green, Business Development Manager at RMF Group, said: “RMF Group deliver the essential skills required to work within the rail and construction industry and give people the chance to achieve their aspirations and open up new career opportunities for their futures.

“We are working in partnership with WCG to embed expertise and knowledge of the rail industry, to ensure students have the knowledge and practical experience to work within the rail sector on completion of the training course.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .