All Aboard for a Brilliant Experience with Greater Anglia

Train spotting was once considered the preserve of folk in anoraks, but in recent years it has gained something of a cult status so it’s no surprise that traineeships with Greater Anglia are in high demand.

Central Training Group has been proudly working with Greater Anglia for three years supporting trainees on an eight-week traineeship with the company. With Central providing the online and in person learning in areas such as customer service, health and safety, and British values, the train company cover the rest. And the latest group of trainees to have completed the training have loved every single minute of the train experience. From working in the ticket office and information centres at stations across East Anglia to covering the gateline and making announcements, every trainee was full of enthusiasm about the experience. What’s more, while most who apply for the opportunity are enthusiastic trainspotters, it is not a prerequisite for the job!

Corey Beynon, 19, from Colchester admits he is not a big fan of trains laughingly describing them as big metal boxes. But, he was attracted to the traineeship after encountering Great Anglia staff at a jobs fair. He said: “I had just walked in and it was the first stand I visited. Having spent 20 minutes talking to the team I was convinced that working on the railways would be great for me. I love engaging with people, getting out and about, and doing a variety of tasks.”

For Corey, the experience has been brilliant and exceeded all expectations. Diagnosed with ADHD, he loves the fact that the job presents any number of challenges and is different every day. He added: “It’s never boring. I love working on the gateline and engaging with a steady stream of customers.” Having completed his traineeship, Corey hopes very much to build a career with Greater Anglia and has applied for a trainer conductor role and a gateline position.

Also hoping to make the railways his future is trainee, Leo Chumbley, 18, who lives in Lowestoft. Leo is autistic and has been, in his own words, obsessed with trains since the age of three! He wholeheartedly agrees with the idea that if you do a job you love, you will never work a day in your life and has embraced every single learning opportunity throughout the eight-week period.

Getting to see and ride on the trains he has so long admired has been a huge thrill and he loved spending time at Ipswich station. The fact that Ipswich has a freight line depot was a bonus, as it gave him more opportunities to indulge his hobby and passion.

With BTech qualifications in engineering, ICT, and games design, Leo has already applied for a job as a trainee conductor based at Norwich but is also considering the option of applying for an apprenticeship with Network Rail.

So what is it about working for Greater Anglia that has so inspired and motivated this third group of trainees that Central has had the pleasure to support in their learning journey?

Viktorija Novikova, Great Anglia’s Earl Career and Apprenticeships Manager, believes the length of time trainees get to spend working on the railways really helps. She said: “We deliberately opted for eight weeks because it allows time for the trainees to really get to know as much as possible about how the railways work. Greater Anglia is about so much more than trains and platforms and we try very hard to share as much knowledge as we can over the two months.”

Every shift that the trainees work is overseen by a buddy or mentor so all questions can be addressed and the experience can be as hands on as possible. And while there is no guarantee of a full-time job at the end of the traineeship, Viktorija believes the experience is valuable in itself. She added: “We believe the time spent with us will boost the confidence of a young person, enhance their strengths and, of course, be a great addition to their CV.”

The bespoke programme created with Central also means that trainees leave with increased knowledge of key areas that will be of enormous benefit in any workplace. “Working alongside Central has been beneficial to us in every way,” said Viktorija. “We were keen to use a local training provider and the Central staff have been just like colleagues in terms of their willingness to create a bespoke and successful training programme for our trainees.”

As an employer that makes diversity and inclusion a top priority, Greater Anglia is proud to give due consideration to every application to their traineeship programme. To be eligible for the traineeship you must currently not be in education, not be in employment, and not involved in an existing training programme. If you would like to find out more about opportunities with Greater Anglia, then head to careers.greateranglia.co.uk.