QTS Group and
South Lanarkshire Council, supported by
Network Rail, have been looking for young people aged 18 to 24 years, to join the region’s first Rail Skills Academy, which is being delivered by
QTS Training on behalf on Network Rail and funded through South Lanarkshire Council. It forms part of the legacy programme for the East Kilbride Enhancement Project.
Aimed at young people living in South Lanarkshire and currently out of employment, it will help to combat the skills shortage and lack of diversity in the rail industry. Over 48% of railway workers are aged 50 or over and women make up just 16% of the current workforce, hence the action now being taken to create ‘a knowledgeable, diverse and qualified workforce for the future’.
Based at the East Kilbride Enhancement project site, the course will equip participants with the competencies, skills and experience required by the railway maintenance sector. Each academy session will run for 10 weeks, with transportation provided to and from the site for participants.
QTS, which is an
Investors in Young People Platinum Award employer, said: “Scotland’s Railway and its supply chain are creating many initiatives to combat the skills gap within our industry, and as a lead contractor working in this sector QTS has been developing a range of programmes — including apprenticeships, traineeships and graduate development — to encourage young people to join the industry.
“The latest cohort of QTS Rail Skills Academy trainees will be the eighth and we are delighted to bring the opportunity for the first time to South Lanarkshire. The programme has a current success rate of 97% of employment following graduation, which shows there is a demand for these young people within the industry.”