This year, NSAR is placing a significant emphasis on productivity. We recognise its crucial role in achieving national goals like growth and sustainability and we’re committed to collaborating with the industry to provide valuable thought leadership in this area. Stay tuned for upcoming events and publications.
The new year also brings a refreshed strategy for NSAR, under the guidance of our new Chair Mary Grant. This is a first step in a broader effort to revisit our service offerings. We will be engaging with members and clients through workshops and discussions to understand your evolving needs in the changing rail landscape. Your feedback is essential as we shape our future direction and report back on enhancements in the coming months.
Next week is National Apprenticeship Week. Applications will open for the second cohort of the PlanBEE Rail apprenticeship programme. This pioneering apprenticeship, a collaboration between Network Rail and its supply chain partners, with NSAR as the employer, offers apprentices invaluable experience through placements with four sponsors. They gain exposure to diverse working environments and develop a wide range of skills. It has been fantastic to see the progress and enthusiasm shown by our cohort 1 apprentices as they complete their first placements. Keep an eye on the NSAR and Routes into Rail website and social media channels for more National Apprenticeship Week updates throughout the week. We look forward to seeing how your organisation is celebrating.
Behind the scenes, our Assessment and Skills team has been working diligently to modernise and refresh apprenticeship standards. Recognising that the Level 3 Rail Engineering Technician apprenticeship is now eight years old, we are part of an initiative to take proactive steps to ensure it remains relevant. Building on the foundation laid by the Trailblazer Group, we will be hosting workshops to create a new blueprint for the apprenticeship. The focus will be on skills aligned with the demands of CP7 and beyond, particularly within the supply chain and SMEs. We will then share these proposals with a wider group of employers, training providers and end-point assessment organisations. The goal is to get employers more excited about apprenticeships in rail engineering. We will examine whether a different set of apprenticeship choices, more aligned to the skills needs, will do this. If you want to get involved in this process, please contact barry.smith@nsar.co.uk
Also – look out for a few upcoming publications. We’re conducting further analysis of our Rail Workforce Survey data, including business cases, to provide you with valuable insights. We will also be releasing a report on the legacy of the TIES Living Lab programme and outlining next steps to realise the efficiencies identified by the projects.
Neil Robertson
NSAR Chief Executive