Recruitment
“Keith has worked in the rail industry for over 47 years, starting in 1968 as a Junior Technical Officer in the Eastern Region Chief Civil Engineering Drawing Office, he then went on to work in the Divisional Civil Engineer in York, Chief Civil Engineer in Euston, Divisional Civil Engineer Leeds, Chief Civil Engineer York Survey Section and as Central Training Manager Eastern Region.
In 1997, Keith decided that he wanted to pass on some of the knowledge he has gained over the years to others and set up on his own, a training company called Intertrain. Keith has grown the business to such an extent that he is the Managing Director of Intertrain UK Ltd and is the largest provider of Track Safety training in the United Kingdom. From this platform, Keith wanted to help those who were trying to get into the industry by starting to train Apprentices and over the years Keith’s company has provided the industry with over 500 highly trained Apprentices as well more recently, helping 280 Traineeships -those individuals who was struggling to get onto Apprenticeships because they were not quite ready as they did not have either the academic nor the work ready skills necessary to work on the railways. It’s this philosophy that makes Keith’s achievements worth recognising and his philosophy that everyone has a corporate social responsibility to assist those in the community who require extra support in order for them to make a positive contribution to the wider society – that really sets him apart from the rest.
One area where Keith’s influence and philosophy can be seen is supporting the Prince’s Trust as well as the Offender Rehabilitation programme. Keith has championed taking on Offenders who are coming to the end of their sentence and giving them a place to work and develop their skills / training as well as assisting them finding work once they have completed their term in prison. Providing such help and support to Offenders is something that not a lot of people would engage in and some would disprove of, but Keith truly believes that he is in a position to make a difference and that by providing the right support, individuals who want to work hard and make positive life choices have a future on the railway.
Additionally, Keith’s ethos has always been to build a company around good people who has the necessary skills but who also want to develop themselves and Keith has supported this throughout his career. This has been recognised through the recent NSARE inspection rating of Outstanding across all judgements who made particular reference to the fact that although the mandatory level of teaching competence is Level 3, Keith and the board mandated that they would like each trainer to be a Level 4, demonstrating a commitment to staff development that exceeds the industry minimum requirements. This investment into staff develop has also been extended to the admin support from Business Administration Apprenticeships to management Level 7 up-skilling!
Overall, Keith has served the railway industry for a long time and through his own individual endeavours as well as by selflessly ‘putting something back’ to the industry, he has created something that has provided so many learning opportunities to individuals that ordinarily would struggle to get on the employment ladder. Indeed, through Keith - he has supported so many people from lowly beginnings who when given the proper advice and guidance have progressed to achieving personal success and a career on the railway.
Supporting statement from Kevan Malloy:
Keith makes the time for anyone regardless who they are or what they want. He is one of the nicest people you ever like to meet and is a well respected / professional trainer himself – who is still involved in training even though he is the Managing Director of a large concern. Indeed if he spent the same amount of time on his golf as he does on his training then he would be an Open Master!
Joking aside, Keith has put a lot into the industry and what makes him so special is that he seeks to put back into the railways what he has taken out, at every opportunity.“
“Keith has been a huge source of support and confidence for me. I am of a certain vintage and thought I was too long in the tooth to be completing a Level 4 Teaching Qualification but Keith changed my mind set. He gave me the confidence that I could do this and indeed I did, being one of the first to achieve my Level 4 Teaching and Assessing Qualification.
This is just one example of many how Keith has supported me through my time at Intertrain - he always has the time to listen and advise if you need it - I truly believe that my story is replicated throughout the organisation and hope that Keith gets the recognition he deserves of his dedication to the rail industry and those that work within it!“
“Under Keith’s stewardship he has created the UK's largest stand alone rail training organisation. What initially started out as a one band operation now fulfills the needs and aspirations of hundreds of young people through apprenticeships working with colleges and universities as well as thousands of personnel entering the doors to receive Safety Critical training. On top of all this, Keith has been adamant that he wanted to help those who are less fortunate and supports community based projects through Intertrain such as the Prince's Trust and the prevention of re-offending with the local open prison.
This tells you a lot about the man and I think Keith is a worthy contender for the railways lifetime achievement award due to his clear commitment to the railway training industry and the people who encompass it. It is his drive, passion and self motivation that has produced one of the most outstanding training companies in the UK.“
“Keith is role model for many individuals; championing grass roots initiatives that help those who would ordinarily struggle to get an education and employment. Keith has dedicated his life to the success of individuals and the company itself through perseverance and an undying passion for personal development.
He continuously demonstrates a professional commitment and passion for those around him which permeates throughout the whole organisation earning him the respect that he deserves. However, what makes Keith stand out for me is that he goes out of his way, time after time to encourage and listen to people – he puts people first and that is sadly a rare commodity. One in a million!“
“Just a quick note to say what a good job I thought you all did on Saturday night. It was my 3rd RailStaff Awards in 4 years and I think by far the best. Everything was really spot on from the theme to the food to the Poker! Hope you get a bit of a rest now?!”
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