02.06.14
North west heat of Gen Y Rail kicks off
The north west heat of the UK Rail Industry Training Trust’s national Gen Y Rail competition has kicked off this morning with nearly 100 students from across the region competing against each other to solve rail engineering challenges set by industry experts.
Organised in partnership with Manchester City Council, the event is being held in the Great Hall at Manchester Town Hall where, throughout the day, students will design a futuristic rail carriage.
Working in teams divided by age group they will then present their solutions to a Dragons’ Den-style panel of judges in the afternoon. The best team in each age group will then go on to compete against winners from around the country in the national final at Network Rail’s Westwood training facility.
Sir Richard Leese, Manchester City Council leader, told the students: “We are entering a new ‘golden age’ of rail in the UK with many opportunities to develop life-long careers.
“The rail industry is expected to grow exponentially with passenger numbers on the up. But there are jobs on the construction, operation and service side of the industry all up for grabs with major infrastructure projects like the Northern Hub, HS2 and the electrification of the rail network all generating jobs.
“Hopefully, this Gen Y Rail event will incentivise you to get involved with the rail industry in developing, maintaining and advancing our rail industry in the years to come.”
Students also heard from mechanical engineering graduate Emily O’Connor, assistant project manager at Colas, who joined the company on its two-year graduate scheme. She said: “I’m happy to be working in a vibrant industry where the opportunities are endless.”
Dr Sarvanthi Sashikumar, lecturer in mechanical engineering at Manchester Metropolitan University, also told the students ahead of the challenge that career opportunities in engineering, especially rail, are exciting and challenging.
Full coverage of the event – and the other Gen Y Rail contests this month – will be in the June/July 2014 edition of RTM.
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