Recruitment
“Nicholas Vassallo has made a real difference to Siemens Rail Automation since joining our graduate programme last year. He has tackled a range of placements with enthusiasm and innovation, bringing a novel approach to delivering projects and Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) activities alike.
Nick joined our Siemens Rail Automation (SRA) engineering graduate programme in September 2014 from his home country of Malta. The challenges he faced from day one were not only professional but personal as he relocated in a country he had only visited once before at the time of the interview. Since day one he has shown real commitment to the programme and the industry by going beyond what has been required of him from his development programme.
Some examples are:-
As part of Nick’s commitment to the engineering profession he took part in a number of Science Technology Engineering and Math’s (STEM) events over the last year. This included visiting schools with other graduates and apprentices explaining what our Company does, and answering questions about engineering and the rail industry in general. One particular event was the Goodwood Green Power final races where Nick and others showcased the engineering world to school students who built their own racing cars and managed their teams to compete in the Green Power races.
During Nick’s first placement on the programme with the Electrical and Power team he created an intranet tool for the power engineers to help with their daily calculations and automate a number of repetitive tasks. This tool is accessible on the web so that it can be used for reference during design stages in the office but also on site.
As part of Nick’s placement with the Reading Station Area Redevelopment (RASR) team he introduced a new method to populate Network Rail’s asset register, Ellipse, with information relevant to our work. The tool allows the user to input the minimum amount of data required, after which a well-structured Ellipse database is generated. This work has received recognition from the Network Rail Senior Project Engineer on RASR for the benefits it brings compared to previous, manual methods.
Nick also worked acted as leader on a model railway project as part of his work for STEM. This was showcased at one of the Big Bang fair events in the South West. His team built a model railway to allow younger students to be shown the basic principles of signalling and railway operation, with the intention of making a new group aware of the exciting opportunities in railway engineering.
Nick’s current contribution and biggest technical challenge is reflected in his work on the Digital Railway initiative. Teams from various parts of Siemens are involved in this initiative to prepare for the unique challenges and opportunities that the use of new technology offer to the railway. Nick is working with senior personnel and specialists in this field, and has gained a great deal of credibility from his contribution to date.
Amongst Nick’s strengths is his ability to interact with others and support those who are developing themselves. An example of this is the part he has played in the businesses football team where he is a real team player. He encourages others and is always prepared to offer ideas and support to the team as a whole.
Nick’s commitment and enthusiasm can be summed up in his own words “Because I was introduced to and subsequently hooked by the world of engineering when I was younger and have hence followed this path through my career, I am very keen on showing the future of engineering to future engineers.–
“I have worked in close contact with Nic for the best part of two placements, during the Reading project commissioning and afterwards in the Digital Railway Project.
He has showed to be a very hard worker, going always beyond what was expected from him. Additionally, despite is young age, he has shown in several occasions a considerable level of maturity.
I enjoyed my time working with him, and I believe he is a very good colleague and friend.“
“Nicholas optimises what it means to be a Graduate Engineer here at Siemens Rail Automation.
As a fellow first year graduate here at Siemens, I have had the pleasure both working and socialising with Nick over the past year. Across the year Nick has had the opportunity to work in three placements where he has made them his own. His hardworking attitude has meant that he has made real impact both in terms of productivity but also the project teams.
Nick is a very knowledgeable individual whose nature has meant he has blended into rail signalling from his background in electronic seemlessly. He has thrown himself into all aspects of working within Siemens and become a asset to the team. He participates in not only the work aspects but also the social side taking part in the weekly football game and also spending good times with graduates and colleagues alike.
Nick's hard work is admirable across all areas of worklife and he is very worthy of this award.“
“It is my pleasure to recommend Nick for this award. I have witnessed his growth and contribution to the organisation both internally and externally. He has a great mind-set and is always extremely focused to the projects he is involved in. Having worked with him on STEM projects as well as projects internally his dedication cannot go unmissed. I have no doubt that if Nick continues in this professional and approachable demeanour he will rise to the top.
Nick is always looking for different ways to improve the way Siemens Rail Automation operates. He encourages other individuals and gets the best out of everyone with whom he works.
It has been a privilege to know and work alongside Nick and I hope you will agree with me in saying that Nick is the most deserving candidate for this award.“
“Nic has been quite enthusiastic about the rail industry and has made a high impact in his various placements, with us his fellow graduates, his placement managers and colleagues too.“
“I had the pleasure of working with Nicholas on the Reading Station Area Redevelopment (RSAR) project over an intense 3 month period in the build up to and during the major Easter 2015 commissioning.
As the Siemens Senior Project Manager on RSAR, I saw first-hand the positive impact Nicholas had on the team. Nicholas approached all issues and tasks with enthusiasm and passion; not only is this a joy to work with, it is an approach which rubs off on those around him. Boosting the morale of the entire team as they collectively feed off Nicholas’ energy.
Nicholas was not afraid to question the norm, challenge the status quo and continually strive to find ways to improve quality and/or drive efficiencies. Nicholas implemented an improved process for populating the asset database; an improvement that drove a big improvement to both the efficiency of populating and the quality of the information enclosed. Another success of Nicholas’ time on the project was an improvement to our stock management which saw a significant improvement to the quality of the information we held.
Considering this is Nicholas first year in the industry he is making significant contributions and gaining an excellent reputation. I can see Nicholas continuing to grow and to flourish and I for one look forward to working with him again in the future.“
“Having worked with Nic during his time with the RSAR project team, I can say that Nic is a really intelligent, self-starter and determined engineer. He knows really well how to apply his technical background to engineering becoming a good problem-solver to have in the team. I personally respect his judgement and have no doubts to ask him when needed as I value his capability and commitment to get things done effectively.
In a short period of time, Nick has successfully created a good business network within different areas of the company what reflects his personal skills. He gets along well with colleagues at different levels who respect him both, as a person and a professional.
Nic has my fully support. I trust his achievements during his early career will prove he deserves the award!!“
“"a great evening showcasing some tremendous people doing a fantastic job—
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