The new depot, along with another in Crawley, is currently being built as part of the £6bn Thameslink Programme for which Siemens is providing 1,140 new Desiro City trains, train maintenance and signalling infrastructure. . There are currently 13500 people employed by Siemens UK, 2500 of which are in the rail sector. Across the two new rail maintenance depots, Siemens will be employing around 200 people with approximately 2000 jobs in the wider UK rail supply chain.
At the Careers Day learners were able to talk to Siemens staff throughout the day at an exhibition stand in the Tottenham Centre Café. There were also a range of talks from current Siemens employees including Hornsey depot Construction Engineer, Stuart Powell and Software Engineer, Anusha Gopalakrishnan ,who gave a personal account of her career path and what her job entails. BTEC ICT Level 3 learner Kyla Samms said, “Anushas’ job sounds really interesting and it’s not what I thought a Software Engineers did, it’s much more hands on. The train technology which Siemens has developed is really inspiring and I would definitely consider applying for a job there after today.”
Councillor Joe Goldberg, the Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Social Inclusion and Sustainability, also visited the Siemens Careers Day. He said: “It’s great that Siemens are here, they are the top engineering company in the world and are giving College learners a real insight in to what they do. The new Siemens depot in Hornsey is really important and will have a positive impact on the area. We’ve got a collective challenge to ensure young people are aware of opportunities in engineering and technology and it’s great that Siemens are engaging with the Colleges’ learners.”
Jackie Chapman, Director of Employability ＆ Employer Engagement, added: “We were delighted that so many of our students had the opportunity to meet with a range of Siemens employees. The feedback on the day was exceptional and we are looking forward to building an on-going relationship with the company.”
Siemens is taking on a record 126 apprentices and graduates in rail this year. They have revolutionised the rail industry with new technology and will be introducing new trains which are lighter and 50% more efficient. This latest technology on the Desiro City is much more IT based and diagnostics can be downloaded at a touch of a button.
Iain Smith, Programme Director for Thameslink at Siemens said, “It’s important for us to continually generate interest in careers in the rail industry as it needs another 4,000 people over the next few years to support the ongoing investment in rolling stock. With one of our latest train depots being constructed nearby, it has been an excellent opportunity to engage with the community who will not only be using our new trains on the Thameslink route, but to inspire the next generation of rail engineers.”
Find out more about Railtrack Engineering Training.
If you would like to find out more about Siemens and Thameslink visit www.siemens.co.uk/thameslink
