Press Release

National Skills Academy for railway engineering

20 November 2009

Andrew Adonis, Secretary of State for Transport, has announced the railway industry and Department for Transport (DfT) will work together to promote a National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering.

In June 2008 Pete Waterman and other figures and employers in the railway industry headed a campaign for Government backing to set up the Skills Academy. This was supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) together with the Cheshire & Warrington Economic Alliance (CWEA), who submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI).

The EOI demonstrated a strong commitment to fully support the establishment of a regional centre for the National Skills Academy, working in partnership with a number of regional partners.

Crewe's rail heritage and central location on the UK rail network make it a strong option for a regional centre for a National Skills Academy, while the demand for railway engineering skills, both in the UK and abroad has increased rapidly and is continuing to grow. It is expected to increase further as a number of major railway projects are implemented.

Much of the industry is having difficulty attracting staff with appropriate skills for many reasons, including a negative perception of the industry. At the same time, the average age of the current UK rail industry workforce is increasing; therefore it will become increasingly difficult to satisfy the demand for key skills, which will be lost as employees retire.

Robert Hough, Chairman, Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) said:

"The future success of the regional economy is dependent on a number of factors, including the development of industries that will create employment opportunities for a number of years and contains specialist engineering expertise.

"Increasing skills, education and employability are just some of the NWDA's key priorities, especially for those industries that have an ageing workforce and few provisions to train. It is essential we service key industries to increase standards and improve quality.

"The Agency recognises the huge potential a National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering would bring to the industry, improving infrastructure that would benefit the economy for years to come."

Neville Chamberlain, Chairman of Cheshire & Warrington Economic Alliance (CWEA) said:

"The demand for railway engineering skills in the Cheshire and Warrington sub-region (and Crewe in particular) and across the Northwest region as a whole, has been increasing rapidly and is continuing to grow.

"We wholeheartedly support the project to establish a National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering, which we see as of paramount importance for the Cheshire and Warrington economy, and we have therefore been working closely with both railway industry bodies and major employers in the industry on the academy project to ensure that plans are put into place to effectively address the skills needs identified, both now and in the future."

The speech by Andrew Adonis, Secretary of State for Transport was given at 11am on 19 November at the London Transport Museum - an event organised by Campaign for Better Transport. It was the second in a series of 3 speeches (one from each Party) on the subject.