All aboard the Great Western Railway ‘Apprentice Train’ for National Apprenticeship Week
Great Western Railway celebrated National Apprenticeship Week by operating a service crewed by current and former apprentices.
The train was crewed, driven, dispatched and controlled by current and former GWR apprentices. Network Rail apprentice signallers controlled the train’s journey and Transport for Wales colleagues dispatched the train at Newport.
View B-roll footage of the 'Apprentice Train' here.
The ‘Apprentice Train’ formed the 1015 service from London Paddington to Cardiff Central on Wednesday and featured more than 20 colleagues from GWR, TfW and Network Rail performing a variety of roles on the service.
The ‘Apprentice Train’ was masterminded by Molly Giffard, 20, from Swansea, an Aspire Operations Management Apprentice.
Molly, pictured above, said:
“We wanted to do something to promote the attainability that apprenticeships can give you. This is something that’s ‘real’ and shows that getting your dream job through an apprenticeship is possible.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming people on board and helping to spread the word about the wealth of opportunities available through GWR apprenticeships.”
Apprentices were on board the train handing out flyers and GWR goodies, as well as answering questions from passengers and those considering a career in the railway.
GWR supervises more than 240 apprentices across 2,000 miles of the network and last year received golden recognition as part of the Investors In People ‘We invest in apprentices’ programme.
GWR Learning and Development Manager Andrew Perry said:
“National Apprenticeship Week gives us a great opportunity to promote the different opportunities available at GWR and it’s wonderful to see some of our apprentices showing their initiative and taking the lead on the ‘Apprentice Train’.”
MEET SOME OF THE ‘APPRENTICE TRAIN’ TEAM |
||||||
Apprentice Train role |
Name |
Age |
Based |
Current role |
Previous role |
Time at GWR |
Event organiser |
Molly Giffard |
20 |
Swansea |
Aspire Operations Management Apprentice |
Customer Host |
1 year |
National Apprenticeship Week Manager |
Thomas Hicks |
26 |
Exeter St Davids |
Aspire Operations Management Apprentice |
Conductor |
9 years |
Leading Train Service Delivery Performance Call |
Alphonse Primera |
- |
Reading |
Aspire Operations Management Apprentice |
Service Delivery Assistant |
5 years |
Train driver |
Dan Whitford |
40 |
Bristol Parkway |
Train driver |
Coach and Mentor. Apprentice Train Driver |
10 years |
Guard |
Drew Torio |
33 |
Paddington |
Aspire Operations Management Apprentice |
Train Manager |
6 years |
First Class Trolley Service |
Katie Ellis |
30 |
Cardiff |
Customer Host |
Customer Service Apprentice |
9 years |
Standard Class Trolley |
Tom Blanplain |
19 |
Swindon |
Customer Host |
Customer Service Apprentice. Gateline Assistant |
3 years |
Rob Cairns, Interim Regional Managing Director, Network Rail, said:
“The Apprentice Train is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the diverse range of jobs available in the rail industry and shine a light on some of the incredible people we have working as part of our railway family.
“Apprenticeships offer a rewarding, hands-on experience with plenty of routes for career progression. We have apprentices working right across Wales and Western in different capacities and would encourage anyone who is considering a career in the railway to look into the opportunities available this National Apprenticeship Week. You too could be part of running a journey like this in future!”
Find out more about GWR's apprenticeship programmes here.
Contact Information
John Carter
Media and Communications Manager
Great Western Railway
0845 410 4444
Notes to editors
First Greater Western Limited, trading as “Great Western Railway” (GWR), operates trains across the Great Western franchise area, which includes South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, across southern England and into London. GWR provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services, and before the covid-19 pandemic helped over 100 million passengers reach their destinations every year. GWR has been awarded a National Rail Contract to continue operating the Great Western network, which shall run up to 21 June 2025, with the potential for a further three years at the Secretary of State’s discretion. Find out more here: https://www.gwr.com/about-us.