GAINING BY TRAINING
IF you think about it, heritage railways are effectively training colleges – but we tend not to view them as such. They welcome enthusiastic members of the public, induct them, train them up and assess whether or not they are competent. New skills and experiences can be acquired which can broaden an individual’s outlook on life or prove invaluable in their career development.
Heritage lines broadly operate within the same systems as their counterparts on the national network – albeit proportionate to a maximum 25mph railway (with a couple of notable exceptions under controlled conditions). For example, if you have volunteered on a heritage line in recent years, terms like Personal Track Safety (PTS) course will be familiar.
Skills which can be obtained from our heritage railways include customer service, retail, civil engineering, horticulture, mechanical engineering and marketing.
Heritage lines are no strangers to welcoming a cross-section of society, with volunteers and staff hailing from a host of different backgrounds, genders and ages.
This backdrop represents an opportunity for the right players in the heritage railway sector to help train staff for the national network. Working in partnership with the national network brings with it a host of potential benefits – not least coming into contact with industry professionals who may wish to offer their expertise
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