Recruitment
“The Fast Trackers pilot scheme is an interactive student engagement programme based around railway engineering that was successfully completed in June 2018. The scheme targeted students from areas with the lowest uptake of higher education nationally, and aimed to inspire a marked change in attitudes towards higher education – specifically targeting engineering related courses. 140 students aged 16-19 completed the scheme which included a 3-day residential to London, Industry visits and University engagement workshops.
The scheme was delivered by volunteers from Network Rail and Mott MacDonald, in collaboration with a consortium from the National Collaborative Outreach Programme (NCOP) Higher Horizons +, Greater Manchester Higher and Future U. These staff worked tirelessly to deliver a scheme that would inspire the next generation to join the rail industry and continue with STEM subjects into further education.
Jamie Bytheway, Operations Manager, Greater Manchester Higher, said “The NCOP programme aims to double the number of disadvantaged young people entering HE by 2020. Fast Trackers is a unique and innovative project, it is designed to give targeted young people an insight into university level study and graduate level jobs within the engineering industry in both their local area, within the North West and on a national scale, to inform and inspire them to be the engineers of the future."
Students taking part in Fast Trackers 2018 undertook a series of company visits, site visits and hands-on engineering design activities aimed at promoting the construction industry and specifically make railway engineering more accessible. The scheme was designed to permit participating students to achieve the requirements of a Gold Award with the Industrial Cadets.
The students experience began by visiting the University of Liverpool for a day to engage in engineering workshops with the chance to speak to current students to find out what studying at university is like. This was followed by a site visit on a subsequent day to the Alstom manufacturing facility in Widnes to discover the skills and processes required to construct new trains and maintain existing ones.
The major element of the scheme was the design of a high-speed rail route between London Euston and Birmingham along with a new station masterplan for London Euston. This was undertaken as part of a three-day residential trip to London. The residential included tours of London St Pancras, London Bridge Station, the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Here the students participated in a panel debate with CEOs along with presentations promoting the routes into engineering.
Ant Sutcliffe, Head of the Higher Horizons+ network, said: “Fast Trackers is a unique project in the world of outreach. Bringing tomorrow’s world of work in line with college and university courses of today, the young people from across our region will gain an incredible insight into what careers they may wish to choose, and more importantly, exactly how to get there.â€
The delivery team have made a huge difference to student’s lives', positively impacting their futures and encouraging them to continue with further education. This would not have been possible without the hard work, collaboration, drive, and selflessness of the team. I have no hesitation in recommended Fast Trackers for this award.“
“At Network Rail we are keen to embrace our social responsibilities such that we develop enduring relationships and leave a positive legacy within the communities in which we work. The Fast Trackers project has been an exceptional exemplar of such activity in which Network Rail worked alongside a partner organization, Mott MacDonald, to deliver a first-class outreach programme under the auspices of the National Collaborative Outreach Programme (NCOP), whose goal is to target students from areas with the lowest uptake of higher education nationally and aimed to inspire a marked change in attitudes towards higher education.
Fast Trackers was developed in partnership with three-NCOP partners (Higher Horizons +, Greater Manchester Higher & Future U) and was largely delivered by an outstanding group of graduate engineers from Network Rail and Mott MacDonald, who developed a three-part outline concept into a first-class and formally accredited programme that enabled the students to gain insight into university life, visit industrial manufacturing facilities and culminated in a 3-day residential. The residential element was hosted at University College London and included a structured and guided learning experience that supported an employer developed project and saw the students create plans to build a high-speed railway and then present them to a panel of industry leaders.
The total contribution of voluntary time was in excess of 2500 hours to plan, coordinate, design and deliver the programme, which saw nearly 200 students benefitting from over 10,500 contact hours with 40 engineers and gaining valuable real-world experiences while achieving their Industrial Cadets Gold Awards. I was particularly pleased to learn that some of the participants’ college attendance had improved from 55% to 95% as a result of the programme.
The Fast Trackers project is an outstanding example of a collaborative endeavour between educational providers and industry partners to develop an innovative and unique programme of educational outreach activity. We hope to expand this project in 2019 and I firmly believe that this project is worthy of recognition for the Charitable Team of the Year award.“
“I am writing to lend my support on behalf of EDT (Engineering Development Trust) to the Fast Trackers Educational Outreach project, which has been nominated for the “Charitable Team of the Year†at the 2018 RailStaff Awards.
The Fast Trackers project was a fabulous example of collaborative activity that offered valuable learning experiences to a broad cross-section of young people from areas with lower than average Higher Education uptake.
The project was professionally delivered and we, EDT (Engineering Development Trust), were proud to be the accrediting partner through our Industrial Cadets scheme. In achieving the Industrial Cadets Gold award, the students had to provide evidence to demonstrate their competence in a variety of skills areas and across a range of programme components within a structure framework that accrued over 50 hours work per person. Delivering and accrediting a programme of this scale represents exceptional vision and commitment from the National Collaborative Outreach Programme partners and their industry collaborators, Network Rail and Mott MacDonald, who developed and delivered this most innovative and exceptional engagement project.
We are excited to be exploring opportunities to support the expanded project for 2019 and hope to add more successful young people to our Industrial Cadets Alumni. I have no hesitation in adding my support to this nomination and wish those involved every success in the judging.“
“I am writing to lend my support on behalf of the Crewe UTC to the Fast Trackers Educational Outreach project.
Our students that took part in the Fast Trackers Programme really enjoyed the opportunity and returned to college enthusing about the experience and how it had helped them understand the breadth of engineering opportunities that are available. Crucially, the students learned about the various pathways through the higher education system, the opportunities offered through apprenticeships and felt more empowered about the career choices ahead of them having had the opportunity to work with and talk to practicing engineers.
During the Programme the students were exposed to the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and learned about the purpose of the professional engineering institutions and how they fit into the career landscape of practicing engineers. They also had the opportunity to hear from senior business leaders, institution presidents and even an MP about the importance of engineers and engineering activity in everyday life.
The Programme was also formally accredited with the Industrial Cadets Gold Award, which is unheard of for outreach projects of this nature and which gave the students something of permanent value to take away and to present as evidence on their CVs.
The whole Fast Trackers experience was incredibly well choreographed and allowed for a lot of information, advice and guidance to be conveyed leaving a positive and lasting impact on the students.
The Programme was a splendid exemplar of how outreach activities can and should be delivered through collaborative efforts of educational providers and industry partners to realise maximum benefit for the students. We are very much looking forward to engaging again in 2019 and I firmly believe that this project is worthy of recognition.“
“I had a wonderful evening and winning the Depot Staff Award made the event all the more special. You too are to be congratulated on your hard work in organising a memorable night. Thanks once again.”
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