From education to employment

12 apprentices embark on a three-year Siemens Mobility engineering training programme

@SelbyCollege, @SiemensMobility Limited’s training partner for its planned rail facility in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, has welcomed its first cohort of apprentices. The 12 apprentices are the first of up to 700 employees who will work at the pioneering rail facility when it opens in 2023.

The new starters are undertaking a Level 3 Rail Technician Apprenticeship programme, spending their first year at the college developing core engineering knowledge and competencies. In their second year, they will spend one day a week at college and four days a week on placement at Siemens Mobility traincare facilities, building up their practical skills and experience.

Their third year will be split between working full-time at the Goole facility and a six-month placement at the company’s rolling stock factory in Vienna, Austria. This will enable expert knowledge transfer from colleagues in a well-established, global manufacturing operation.

The 12 apprentices were selected by Siemens Mobility after receiving over 200 applications, with the majority of applicants from East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. They join Selby College two months after construction work began at the nearby Goole site in July 2020, following a visit from Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

When complete, the state-of-the-art factory will manufacture and commission trains – the first of which will be new Tube trains for London’s Piccadilly line with plans for additional train manufacture in the future. This could include additional vehicles for the Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo & City line Tube trains, plus mainline suburban and intercity trains.

Siemens Mobility’s Goole plant will be complemented by research and development, digital innovation and supplier facilities, together forming a unique “rail village”.

Phil Sayles, Principal and Chief Executive of Selby College, said:

“We were delighted to welcome Siemens Mobility’s first 12 apprentices to Selby College. This is a fantastic opportunity for them to be a part of an incredibly exciting project and develop the engineering skills which are so vital to the UK’s future.

“Our significant engineering facilities and partnerships with industry mean that we offer unparalleled training opportunities for apprentices in the sector, and we hope our new joiners gain maximum experience and knowledge from the programme during their time with us.”

Sambit Banerjee, Managing Director, Siemens Mobility Limited, said:

“The onboarding of our first apprentices at Selby College represents another major milestone for our Goole facility and our plans to create and develop local jobs. With an outstanding track record of delivering apprenticeships and excellent facilities, Selby College is a brilliant place for these ambitious people to train and grow their skillset in engineering.

“The government has a clear commitment to ‘levelling up” and rebuilding the nation’s economy following COVID-19 and employing and training local people is key to this. As supporters of this ambition, we are committed to upskilling the next generation of engineering talent, so they can play a key role in delivering important UK infrastructure projects, like TfL’s new underground trains.”

Milly Johnston (18)

 

When Siemens Mobility announced plans to build its new £200m rail facility in Goole, Milly Johnston knew it would be a game-changer for her hometown. She’d begun a car mechanic apprenticeship at a local garage, but it came to an end when the business ceased trading. Undeterred, Milly kept looking for opportunities to work at Siemens Mobility’s Goole plant, regularly checking the website for apprenticeships. Now, her perseverance has paid off as she has been chosen as one of 12 apprentices from 200 applicants to undertake a rail engineering technician apprenticeship.

This is brilliant for Goole because Siemens Mobility is such a big company and there isn’t anything like it in this area. It will create a lot of new jobs, bring more people into the town and encourage people to relocate to the area. It was interesting to meet Boris Johnson and it was good that he visited.”

 

Kate Rodley (18)

When she was only 14, Kate Rodley knew she wanted to work for Siemens. Four years ago, she took part in an electric kit car race, organised by the Greenpower Education Trust and supported by Siemens, while she was a Year 10 student at Beverley High School in East Yorkshire. Now, after gaining a double Distinction and a Distinction in Engineering at Ron Dearing University Technical College (UTC) in Hull, Kate has been chosen as one of the first apprentices to join the workforce at Siemens Mobility’s new pioneering facility.

“During the Greenpower electric car project at the KCOM Stadium in Hull we worked closely with Siemens and I’ve wanted to join them ever since. I’m so excited to start my career and looking forward to entering an adult environment, being practical and independent, while learning with the other apprentices. The apprenticeship offers travel opportunities too, which is also exciting.”


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