Alstom

Alstom are a well-established manufacturing company based within the UK and Ireland with over 30 sites nationwide. They specialise within train design, engineering, testing and servicing their fleet of trains. They are a dynamic and innovative organisation with a vision to creating the digital railway of the future and are constantly seeking for ways to improve customer experience and greener ways to travel. 

Within the rail industry, a third of the UK’s rail vehicles running on the network have been built by Alstom, including: high-speed trains, metros, monorails, trams and underground trains. Alstom offers its diverse customers the broadest portfolio in the industry.  

With a combined workforce of 6,000 staff members, encompassing a range of roles such as: engineers, managers, specialists support staff and apprentices, there is a constant need for training, assessing and quality assurance to ensure all staff are aware of the latest industry standards and updates. 

Alstom arranged for Train Aid’s Education & Training Manager Nick Chadwick to deliver an in-house IQA course at their Liverpool Train Centre Headquarters to three of their experienced managers responsible for monitoring a team of assessors and train staff operators nationwide. 

The purpose of the training was to not only develop their leadership and management skills but to establish an agreed internal observation and support system to annually review the performance of all assessors and train drivers in order to standardise their practice and offer support within their role. 

This new dynamic approach would ensure that a consistent training experience is provided to all Alstom staff members and that suitable targets are provided with state of the art training. 

Throughout the three day IQA course, the candidates uncovered the two mandatory units:

Unit 1: Understanding the principles and practices of internally assuring the quality of assessment (written assignment) Followed by Unit 2: Internally Assure the Quality of Assessment - whereby all candidates produced a portfolio of evidence demonstrating they could monitor assessors’ professional practice and sample paperwork. 

Within the penultimate and final assessment day, each manager observed an assessor within their assessing role, monitoring and providing feedback to a train operator performing their driving responsibilities. 

The purpose of the observation was to observe how assessors observe each trainer driver and provide verbal feedback on their day-day working role.  It was also to ensure a consistent approach to observing practice within the fleet of Alstom’s trains.  

After completing the IQA course, all candidates received their formal IQA qualification from Highfield qualifications. 

Operational Safety Advisor Anthony Whitehead explained that the IQA training was an invaluable experience and the training would now assist all managers to observe and support their team of trainers and assessors with future training to aid their staff development.