The RailStaff Awards 2024

Nominations for Apprentice of the Year

Peter Thompson

Said the following about Ross Howley:

“Ross embarked on the Freightliner Engineering Apprenticeship scheme in August 2014 and qualified as a fully qualified Railway Engineering Technician three months ago.

From Day one, Ross has had a positive and enthusiastic approach to the scheme, regularly attending day release at local East Kirkbride college to learn the theory and working alongside fitters at Freightliner’s intermodal terminal at Coatbridge in Scotland, as well as travelling to other Freightliner sites across the UK, to gain ‘on the job’ skills and experience.

Throughout the four-year apprenticeship Ross has excelled in everything he was asked to do and, in the words of Freightliner’s Chief Terminals Engineer, has been a pleasure to work with. Although only 22 years old, Ross has a maturity way beyond his years, has a positive attitude to work and is well respected by his peers and management alike.

Having achieved an HNC in electrical engineering and an SVQ – Level 3 in Engineering Maintenance, Ross is now employed as a qualified Technician A Grade which includes maintaining cranes and the inspection and maintenance of rail wagons at Coatbridge terminal.

Despite achieving his qualified technician status, Ross is still passionate about learning more and is always asking questions and looking for opportunities to expand his skill set even further.

Ross is now in a great position to pursue a successful career in engineering and is an ideal candidate for the title ‘Apprentice of the Year’.“