RAIL INDUSTRY SKILLS CRISIS LOOMS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2020 :: RMTnews 4 N ew research by City & Guilds and the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) paints a stark picture for the future of the rail workforce, with a skills shortages set to escalate significantly in the sector over the next five years, just at the moment that such talents are required the most. With major rail infrastructure projects being rolled as part of the long anticipated National Infrastructure Strategy, the Back on Track report and data from NSAR on 242,000 workers in the rail industry – reveals that there remains potential for these to create a new lease of life for the UK economy through new jobs and economic growth. However, serious systemic issues in the industry’s talent and skills pipeline, have created a shortage of trained and talented employees, just when the industry needs them most. The fundamental issues that have created this situation include a short-term approach to skills development, an ageing workforce and a reliance on overseas and ‘third-tier’ workers and the report emphasises that greater industry collaboration was needed to fix them in time to meet this additional demand. The research finds that the rail sector is set to lose huge numbers of skilled workers over the next few years. With 28 per cent of workers in the industry aged over 50, this means some 15,000 workers could be due to retire by 2025. As a result of this talent and skills shortfall coinciding with new rail projects that will heighten the demand for skills, between 7,000 and 12,000 additional people will be required every year by the industry over the next five to ten years – up to 120,000 people in total. And with modelling showing peak demand around 2025, people must be recruited now to equip them with the relevant skills and experience to meet future demand. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that the report revealed that we are now seeing the consequences of a policy which in recent decades has seen railway engineering such as track and signal construction and train building and train maintenance being fragmented and outsourced to a patchwork of competing interests who operate in their short-term interests rather than the long terms needs of the industry. “To allow skills to be created, retained and also seamlessly transferred around the railway we need a return to a unified and integrated approach to railway itself and the stable, secure and attractive career path that would create.  “This report should also serve as another good reason for the government to abandon its plans to abolish Trade Union learning which has done so much to help promote rail skills,” he said. National Skills Academy for Rail CEO Neil Robertson said that the rail industry’s lack of diversity and perception by younger people, were well known, but less well understood. “While many people in the industry are already working to recruit and upskill a more diverse workforce, it’s by shedding a light on these issues that we can understand the solutions that will truly make an impact. “Now, as we look to invest in new talent in to fill future skills gaps in the rail industry, it’s also clear that we can use this opportunity improve social mobility across the UK. By hiring people from different backgrounds and regions and providing them with quality skills and career progression, we can ensure that these infrastructure projects not only create jobs, but also promote positive socioeconomic change,” he said. The report found that this disinterest in careers in rail could be largely fuelled by misperception and a lack of awareness and understanding about the wide range of career opportunities and roles in the sector – pointing to a basic need to educate a wider pool of people about the potential jobs available to them. Of those who said that they wouldn’t consider working in the rail industry, 42 per cent said they don’t know enough or anything about careers in the sector, whilst 35 per cent said they don’t have the skills needed to get in the sector. City & Guilds and NSAR called on the rail sector and government to collaborate and take a joined-up approach to urgently gear up the industry’s skills and talent pipelines, before it’s too late. The seven key recommendations outlined in the report are: • Build lifelong learning commitments into project specifications for national rail projects - starting with apprenticeships • Transform the rail industry into a career destination, especially for young people • Develop strong career paths to attract and retain talent and maximise productivity • Make mid-career entry to the industry and skills- transfer more frictionless • Build greater participation at a local / regional level • Government and relevant partners should consider a perception and awareness raising campaign • Utilise the Green agenda to attract a new generation of people to the industry RAIL INDUSTRY SKILLS CRISIS LOOMS Report finds rail sector set to lose huge numbers of skilled workers with over a quarter aged over 50, meaning over 15,000 workers could retire by 2025