RAILTRACK PLANS to recruit 250 engineers in a campaign starting this summer, but has assured its contractors that staff will not be poached.
Money has been set aside in the network operator's budget to pay for the campaign and for so called golden handshake payments.
Railtrack is particularly keen to recruit signalling and track engineers after coming under fire for its lack of engineering expertise in operations and maintenance. Despite the confirmation last week that it will no longer be solely responsible for major projects, it will also need engineers for schemes on which it retains responsibility including the West Coast Main Line, now valued at over £6bn.
Corporate resourcing manager Mark Payne said that Railtrack was broadening its search for graduates and was also looking at recently retired engineers.
He added that Railtrack recognised that poaching staff from its contractors would only be 'shooting itself in the foot, ' saying it would be looking at engineers from other construction sectors.
Railtrack will continue to recruit from abroad after recent success in South Africa, albeit at high financial cost.
An 'exceptional item' was declared in last year's financial figures to fund the campaign but Payne stressed payments to attract staff would only be paid on a case by case basis.
The campaign is planned to last until autumn, but Payne accepts that Railtrack will not fill the vacancies this year.
You might also like...
Brexit plan needed to tackle skills shortage, industry warns
Nine lLeading industry bodies have urged the government to address skills shortages in construction as Brexit uncertainty threatens to undermine efforts to recruit from other European Union (EU) countries.
Major water contractor rebrands under new name
North Midland Construction and its subsidiary Nomenca have rebranded as nmcn.
Industry concerned by Brexit immigration white paper
Changes proposed to the immigration system to take effect in the wake of Brexit “seriously threaten” the UK’s access to skilled labour for construction and engineering, say industry leaders.
RSK acquires Spurs football stadium roof installer Can
RSK has made its eleventh acquisition in the last 12 months taking over UK based geotechnical and engineering contractor Can.
Have your say
You must sign in to make a comment
Please remember that the submission of any material is governed by our Terms and Conditions and by submitting material you confirm your agreement to these Terms and Conditions. Please note comments made online may also be published in the print edition of New Civil Engineer. Links may be included in your comments but HTML is not permitted.