Claire Bartlett

Said the following about Shaun Jones:

“Admitting to gaps in your skillset and then taking remedial action – especially when you’re a manager – takes courage, but Shaun Jones is now reaping the rewards in terms of increased knowledge and confidence. Shaun, aged 40, together with three colleagues from Network Rail’s Fleet and Engineering department, became the first cohort to undertake a brand-new apprenticeship scheme, which began in October 2018. This Level 3 apprenticeship, designed with NTAR, is tailored to traction, rolling stock and wheeled plant. Practical skills such as pneumatics, mechanical assemblies, maintenance, fitting, filing, lathe, milling and welding are covered, along with academic subjects such as engineering-based maths, mechanical and electrical principles and report-writing.

Studying at York College full-time encompassed a complete lifestyle change for Shaun, as his substantive role as an assistant systems manager involved travelling around the UK with the High Output machines. Shaun and his cohort started studying two months later than the other students - who were in their late teens and early twenties - but quickly surpassed many of them, both academically and practically.

As part of his course, Shaun was tasked with designing a solution for a practical problem he’d encountered at work. He chose to work on the problem of unclipping rail clips without using hammers and designed an unclipping head tool for mounting onto the Hilti TD1000. Shaun taught himself Fusion 360 and used this to 3D model his three prototypes – each using a different material – for transfer to a 3D printer. Suitable for use on both the pandrol and the e-clip, this tool makes the task of unclipping easier and more efficient for the operator.

In June this year, at a STEM event, where he was speaking with young people about careers in engineering and the rail industry, Shaun won the Inspire Award for Mature Apprentices! Held at Elvington Air Museum, Shaun showcased his unclipping head tool and impressed the judging panel, which included an executive from Atkins Global. Shaun very kindly donated his prize money back to the event.

Shaun has also given hours of his own free time to the local community. By using the skills learned on his course, he and his cohort have restored the bonnet of the British Sugar Shunting Engine, part of the Derwent Valley Light Railway Charity project, which is now back to its former glory.

Shaun says: “My path’s changing, and I’ve acquired the skillset to be able to move away from operations into maintenance and build on everything I’ve learned on this course. I wish I’d done this years ago!”“