Thursday 17th March 2011 will see rail professionals join forces
with academia and industry bodies at The Roundhouse in Derby to
discuss the future opportunities being created and the economic
importance of sustainable skills development for young people in
the rail industry at this year's innovation Rail (iRail).
Organised by Transport iNet working with the Derby and
Derbyshire Rail Forum (DDRF) and Derby Railway Engineering Society
(DRES), supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF),
this second iRail event builds on last year's success and will
start with a breakfast networking event for senior local figures
with discussions led by Network Rail and Young Railway
Professionals.
Students from 12 East Midlands based schools will then
participate in the iRail 2011 STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Maths) challenge. Each group which previously took
part in STEM days held at their schools by The Smallpeice Trust
will be invited to present their innovative answers to two
engineering challenges to a 'Dragon's Den' style panel of judges
which will include music mogul and rail enthusiast, Pete Waterman.
The winning school will be crowned the iRail 2011 STEM Challenge
Champions. Furthermore, students will be given a free place on a
Railway Engineering residential course, sponsored by the National
Skills Academy for Rail Engineering (NSARE) which takes place at
the University of Nottingham this Easter.
The iRail day will come to a close with a distinguished lecture
by Tim Dugher, Chief Operating Officer of Angel Trains and the
current Chairman of the Railway Division of the Institution of
Mechanical Engineers.
Dave Saunders, Chair of iRail, said: "There is a tremendous
opportunity open to today's young people in science and
engineering. The move towards low-carbon energy and a more
sustainable way of living will require engineering investment and
technological change.
Most of this will be high-skill work though, so it's vital that
young people are enthused about science and engineering and go on
to obtain the skills and qualifications that will be needed. iRail
is once again raising the profile and highlighting the importance
of the Rail sector within the region, endeavouring to inspire and
engage young people and the education sector in identifying the
diverse career opportunities that exist within the industry."
John Frodsham, Director of the Transport iNet, said: "iRail is
fast becoming an important annual fixture in the educational and
industry calendar. Rail is a sustainable transport option for the
future and we want to encourage the best and brightest engineers to
consider rail as an exciting and interesting career choice."
The Transport iNet, which is based at Loughborough University,
is funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The aim of the iNet is
to share expertise and stimulate the research and development of
new products, services and processes across the five transport
sectors, rail, marine, automotive, motorsport and aerospace.