About Us

With plans well underway for the UK’s second high speed rail line, the industry is already beginning to forge new paths, requiring new skills and employees from a wider range of backgrounds than ever before. Our priority is to ensure that we lead this change, attracting as diverse a group of people as possible to the college, and redefining common perceptions of what engineering and the rail sector is all about.

The college will open doors for new learners, for the existing workforce, for our industry partners, for career changers and for other education providers, as we build a workforce prepared to lead the new era of rail travel in the UK and overseas.

We’re working with employers to develop the courses we teach, so college leavers will qualify with the specific skills required in their chosen field. They’ll be taught through a mixture of classroom learning and real-world work experience, giving them the chance to work on real projects and with potential future colleagues as they train.

We have a rare and unique opportunity to ensure high speed rail in this country leaves a carefully considered human legacy as well as a physical one.

Pioneering Technical Excellence

So our college has been set up to provide training and work experience to learners aged 18 and above in all aspects of what makes a modern railway. That’s not just engineering and wearing hard hats, it’s creating great passenger experiences, innovation and design as well. We’re creating a new generation of employees, from loads of different backgrounds and with the skills to take on any challenge, to help the rail industry move forwards.

Campuses

Inside the buildings, we combine open workshop spaces with classroom and seminar learning, meaning we don’t only focus on the physical track and trains. Our technical training environments are fully kitted out with the latest digital technology and equipment from industry employers. Learners will train on this equipment, supported by specialists in the relevant sector and with access to skills and experience from every aspect of the rail industry.

Courses

All our learners will combine classroom teaching with hands-on, real-life project experience and embedding work-ready skills, personal attributes and service design into everything we do. These courses have been developed with employers from across the rail industry, to ensure that our learners are gaining the transferable skills they need to prepare them for a career in rail.

Partners

We’ve had a huge amount of input and donations from industry employers already, but we’re also working with training providers in education and with local enterprise partnerships, councils and schools to ensure the college sits at the heart of a vibrant and diverse community.

That approach is designed to ensure our learners get the very best experience, changing not only their perception of training in rail, but the makeup of the industry itself.