GWRF2020-17 Investment in workforce and skills

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Consultation Question 17

What more should the franchise do to invest in the workforce and wider industry skills?


Explanatory text

Feedback from stakeholders has generally been positive regarding the knowledge and helpfulness of the current franchisee’s staff. We would wish to maintain and develop this strength. We want to ensure that people working on the franchise have the information, training and tools they need to assist and communicate effectively with all passengers, an environment they are proud of and enthusiastic to work in, and a genuine stake in the success of the railway in delivering for passengers. We also want to ensure that the franchise continues to play its part in supporting the wider development of skills across the rail industry.

We propose that the franchisee should be required to have a clear workforce strategy, including:
●● Investing in the workforce, maintaining high levels of staff morale and trust in the business, ensuring that staff are well-motivated to provide a visible, high-quality service and to communicate effectively with passengers, and have the right equipment, support and training in order to do this
●● A commitment to wider rail industry skills development, including by creating apprenticeships in engineering and other disciplines and by seeking to attract under- represented groups, and investing in the skills and abilities of front-line managers

See http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=19037 for the background to this topic