500 jobs for learners pledged as rail training centre opens
A new specialist infrastructure and rail training centre has opened in Aston, aiming to help fill the skills gap in the region’s construction and rail sectors.
The Transport, Rail, and Infrastructure Academy (TRIA) was launched by NIS Group in partnership with the city of Wolverhampton College, with employers pledging over 500 new jobs for trainees.
The facility, which has undergone a £250,000 transformation, boasts training equipment, including a 15-metre high-speed track, conventional track, a level crossing barrier, and civil engineering training tools.
Employers like Buildforce Solutions, Linsco, Randstad and Danny Sullivan Group have committed to hiring workers trained at the academy for various projects.
ISS and NIS Group have also launched the official training and employment partnership, which will ensure learners interested in rail career opportunities will be offered work across the Network Rail infrastructure.
Davie Carns, chief executive officer and founder of NIS Group said: “The fact we had over 500 jobs pledged by employers before the centre officially opened shows the urgent need for workers in the infrastructure, rail and construction sectors, not to mention the belief these companies have in our ability to train individuals to industry standards.
“This is such an incentive for people considering a career in this field. They can immediately see that by embarking on the training with us there is a guaranteed job at the end of it. We’ll make sure that by the time they finish with us they will have the base skills, the qualifications and, in some cases, specialist knowledge of certain disciplines to be an immediate success.”
Peter Merry, deputy principal and chief executive at the college said: “In setting up the Transport and Rail Infrastructure Academy, the partnership between the college and NIS Group is contributing to the regeneration of the region by equipping local people of all ages, abilities and levels of experience with the skills needed to work in the construction and maintenance of train lines, tram routes and stations across the West Midlands and beyond.
“Alongside the existing TRIA sites in Wolverhampton and Dudley, the opening of the third site in Aston is fantastic news as it will enable even more people to access high quality specialist industry-specific training to enable them to work in this priority sector.”
