Left to right, Rail Track Engineering Tutor Grant Lee, Kelly Rail apprentices Muhammad Ali, Mikesh Meisuria, Isreal Nelson, Kemar Taylor Norman Nyikadzino and Ingli Shehu with Apprenticeships Sales Executive Asnan Mojumader.
Aspiring rail engineers from The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) have secured Apprenticeships working on London Underground with Kelly Rail.
Kelly Rail is part of Kelly Group and one of largest rail contractors in the UK specialising in signalling, telecommunications, electrification and civil engineering.
The new apprentices were chosen by the company after completing a Level 2 Pre-Apprenticeship in Rail Track Engineering at the College’s Enfield Centre.
Pre-Apprenticeships are a three-month courses that act as a stepping stone to Apprenticeships by providing students with the essential skills for their chosen career.
The apprentices are predominantly working on projects on the Underground with some additional work on Network rail sites, and are being trained in design and planning, track maintenance and installing signalling.
Muhammad Ali, 20, chose an Apprenticeship over studying for a degree in civil engineering at university and is currently working on the Hammersmith and City Line.
“The best thing about the Apprenticeship is that I am actually learning what I need to learn rather than wasting a lot of money going to university and it taking longer to get a job,” he said.
“I’m really enjoying it. It’s helping me to achieve what I want to in life, and I really appreciate what College has done for me.”
Another new apprentice, Norman Nyikadzino, 24, had worked in several jobs with little option for progression before deciding to enrol on the Pre-Apprenticeship.
He said: “I was getting to the age when I needed to find a career. I heard about the course from a friend who had a lot of great things to say about it. The teachers were very helpful and had a lot of experience.
“Getting an Apprenticeship means I and now able to start work properly.”
Kelly Rail apprentices Muhammed Ali and Norman Nyikadzino.
The Kelly Rail apprentices follow another group from the College who were offered rail engineering Apprenticeships with VGC Group in October last year.
Stuart Bruce-Jones, Signalling Delivery Manager at Kelly Rail, who undertook the interviews, congratulated the new apprentices and welcomed them to the company and Kelly Group.
He said: “The College has a fantastic combination of locality and engineering facilities to equip the apprentices with the skillsets, knowledge and experience they need to enable them to work on our major transportation projects, including the largest and most complicated Re-Signalling upgrade projects currently being undertaken in Europe.
“I was very impressed with what they have learnt in such a short space of time to prepare them for the challenges of working in the rail industry.”