‘A learning legacy’ – New Strategy and Skills Director, Rob Forde, outlines why he joined the GCRE team
In this week’s blog GCRE’s new Strategy and Skills Director, Rob Forde, outlines why he joined the team and highlights the positive, long-term impact he believes the facility can have on both the rail industry and the local community.
I can’t resist a challenge.
The Global Centre of Rail Excellence represents one of the most exciting, innovative and urgently needed developments anywhere in UK and European rail and when I saw the opportunity to join the team, I jumped at the chance.
I did it partly because I genuinely believe that the facility we’re building can help address some of the industry’s biggest strategic challenges.
Testing and integration
Prior to this role, I spent four-and-a-half years in the Network Rail Research & Development team before joining East Coast Route to lead their Digital Programme. During both these roles I’ve come to see at first hand just how critical testing, approvals and integration of new products really is, but also how challenging it can be!
GCRE offers a unique opportunity for the industry to significantly reduce long development cycles, reduce cost, lower the barrier to entry for new companies and, significantly, reduce the integration risks that come with major projects – in turn helping keep more of our critical infrastructure upgrades to time and to budget.
Part of this is about going back to first principles and understanding the real value of high quality research, innovation and testing.
Would you test a new, unproven type of runway at Heathrow airport?
Of course not, but currently the main way we test rail infrastructure products in a realistic environment is on the mainline railway.
This creates risk to the operational railway that needs to be managed safely. Rightly, a high bar is set to install equipment on the mainline but it also causes delays. Innovators can spend a long time proving equipment is safe and effective and it prevents products that could improve safety and reduce cost being deployed faster. This clearly drives some of the high costs we see in rail and the perception we aren’t innovative.
To this, GCRE offers a solution.
At our site infrastructure products can be tested in a realistic rail environment, without the risk to the operational railway. This will not only accelerate the approvals process and provide an overall efficiency to the railway, it will also reduce the cost to the whole industry, including innovators large and small.
GCRE can provide the location to undertake actual system integration, removing the need for it to take place on the mainline and reducing the often lengthy periods of time needed to introduce and commission new equipment.
Those that know me will know I’m not all about ‘cool’ technology – I want to support the industry in delivering innovation into practical operation. The journey from conception through to commercialisation is something that I believe could become a lot shorter when GCRE is operational.
But this will only be achieved through genuine collaboration. By partnering across the rail ecosystem and creating a physical hub for innovators of all sizes to collaborate, test ideas and prove the viability of new products.
Skills
During my time in the industry I’ve also learned how critically important the development of talent really is.
We have a massive skills gap in the rail industry and one which is growing in the face of fierce competition from other sectors in such a tight labour market. We have an ageing workforce with 28% over 51 and only 5% under 25. The urgent need to invest more in developing and building future skills in the industry has never been so apparent.
We also need to embrace diversity. Less than 15% of our workforce is female and so we must do more right across the industry to ensure that young people like my own daughter see rail as an attractive and welcoming place in which to build a successful and fulfilling career.
GCRE can act as a beacon in these areas.
Crucially, also, in supporting the development of skills in the local area and as part of a bigger skills system across rail in the UK. GCRE will be a unique site where we can safely demonstrate and train individuals in a realistic rail environment. We are fortunate in that there is no lack of space on our site, even with our extensive test track network. At over 700ha the site provides ample opportunity to work with local skills providers to grow into a world class live rail training environment.
As a new entrant to rail – and as an organisation that is still growing – we can build GCRE from the ground up and ensure our business looks and acts like the world outside by building diversity into the company and our site from day one – for example by ensuring accessibility and gender specific spaces are built into the very design of GCRE and not added on as a last minute addition.
In short, GCRE has the chance to do things differently by embodying the kind of innovation in its own design that it will be supporting others with on site. We can become a thriving skills site working with all levels of learners from apprentices through to PHD students. The site is also in an area of outstanding beauty with an extensive number of outdoor activities nearby – a stunning location to train, at a cutting edge location.
At GCRE we want to develop a learning legacy – by that I mean harnessing the potential of our facility to have a positive and long-term impact in supporting skills opportunities for local people. As we move through construction we will use the site to develop skills in railway construction and civil engineering. Then when we are up and running the site will be prime for development of skills in operations, maintenance, installation, testing and no doubt many skills we haven’t thought of yet.
Local community
Finally, I can see the Global Centre of Rail Excellence breathing new life in to the economy and the local area. GCRE is being built on a site that has for more than two centuries been dominated by coal. There is a proud history here, but deindustrialisation has left deep scars. Neath Port Talbot has one of the highest rates of economically inactive individuals in Wales at 26.5%.
Through the building of the GCRE site and the opportunity of new skills the area can once again look to a brighter future. It won’t be a silver bullet, but it will be a place where world class industry can once again thrive. Our commitment is to harnessing local talent and providing well paid, skilled opportunities for people living locally, as well as partnering with local business throughout the build and into operation.
I firmly believe that GCRE represents not just a major opportunity for the rail industry, but for the local community, too.
As a part of the GCRE team, I now have the chance to help make that difference and to help build the railway of tomorrow.
Now that’s exciting.