New qualification for trainee drivers at South West Trains

A group of trainee drivers at South West Trains have become the first in the company to gain a nationally recognised vocational qualification.

The first drivers to have successfully achieved their NVQ Level 2 in Rail Operations qualification were presented with their certificates by Stagecoach Group Chief Executive Brian Souter and South West Trains HR Director Andrew Welsby.

The South West Trains Operations and Safety training centre has a long tradition of providing high quality traincrew vocational training. With over 380 years of railway experience, the company’s trainers pride themselves on delivering excellent training to new and existing traincrews.

In May 2009 the centre achieved approved centre status from the City & Guild qualifications body. This accreditation acts as an industry benchmark and validates the quality of the training provided.

Twenty-two trainee drivers at South West Trains have so far achieved the NVQ qualification with a further 52 working towards the certificate.

The NVQ award programme is set to be expanded even further in 2010, as all new trainee drivers will be registered for an NVQ award relevant to their role as part of their initial vocational training. The training team will also work with existing staff who wish to gain NVQ qualifications linked to their roles within the company.