Craig Spratt

Said the following about Richard Yates:

“Richard Yates joined Freightliner in April 2007 and is currently Depot Manager of our Vehicle Maintenance Facility in Leeds being responsible for all level 1-4 and Level 5 engineering work on Freightliner’s Diesel locomotive fleet. Richard started his Freightliner career working as a wagon fitter out of Freightliner’s Leeds VMF where he quickly got promoted to wagon supervisor. Richard progressed his career by moving over to the General Repair (GR) facility in York where he became the Production Manager. In 2016 Richard became the Depot Manager at Manchester Guidebridge relocating to the newly built GR facility.

In February this year, Richard was recognised at the Tameside College Apprenticeship Awards for going above and beyond in supporting Freightliner’s new engineering apprentices as a local business and taking the time to care about our young starters through their GCSE exams and integration into Freightliner Maintenance.

In his previous role at Freightliner’s Maintenance Facility at Guide bridge in Manchester, Richard was keen to get the local technical college involved in their apprenticeship recruitment plan, as it was on the doorstep and aimed at keeping jobs in the local area. The local college was the ideal site to look at school leavers interested in Engineering.

Richard hosted a welcome day at Guide bridge and put a presentation together showcasing who we are at Freightliner, our core values and our commitment to equality, diversity and safety. The event was attended by representatives from the college, potential candidates and their parents and was a great success.

Subsequently, interviews were held, and two candidates were recruited. Richard liaised closely with the new apprentices’ parents, informing them that their children had been successful so that they could also praise them for their hard work preparing for the interview selection process.

Despite the demands and challenges of his busy Depot Manager role, Richard kept in contact with the college and candidates throughout their journey, wishing them every success with their GCSE exams especially as the apprenticeship required certain grades to be achieved. Keeping in contact and encouraging the apprentices demonstrated that Richard and Freightliner care about every stage of a new joiner’s employment and, even more so, when they are school leavers. The care and attention provided by Richard gave both the apprentices and their parents confidence that Freightliner was true to their core values.

As a result of Richard’s commitment to the apprentices, Tameside College nominated him for this special award which he was proud to receive. Richard is truly deserving of further recognition at the RailStaff Awards.“

Mark Smith

Said the following about Richard Yates:

“I have known Richard for 10 years during my support of recruitment to the various Freightliner business streams in the UK.

Throughout this time, I have found Richard to be a true people person, compassionate and ethical whilst maintaining a professional can do, will do attitude when it comes to the job in hand.

In my opinion, Richard maintains a true loyalty to the business and those working around him, instilling a great work ethic and true pride in achievement as a team“