Next stop: Happiness
Right on track for rewarding rail role
LIKE thousands of young people, Lewis Travers-Smith had no clue what he was going to do after school.
He’d been planning to go on and do A-levels but had to leave his studies to look after his two little brothers.
Out of work and without any direction, he stumbled on a programme that in just a matter of weeks helped turn his life around.
Lewis is now a train dispatcher for Southeastern Rail working at Faversham station in Kent.
And he says he is happily on the right track and looking forward to a thriving career on the railways.
Lewis, 26, said: “In less than two years, I have gone from zero to a successful career.”
After his GCSEs, family circumstances meant Lewis left London with his grandparents.
He said: “I spent a year doing up a house with my grandad but, beyond that, I was really unsure about how my future was going to play out.
“I had done all sorts of odd jobs, like in a bakery and different bars, but had lost direction.
“There seemed no hope of finding a full-time job let alone a career.
“Once upon a time I had thought about being a graphic designer as I loved art at school. But that all seemed lost to me.”
In an attempt to get some work experience, Lewis volunteered for a work placement at his local Jobcentre. He spotted a Get on Track programme, designed to help unemployed youngsters get into work.
He said: “At that stage I realised I had nothing to lose and I decided to just give it a go.”
Get on Track courses, supported by the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, provide mentoring from world-class sportsmen and women and offer help to get the skills required to find work.
“It was just what I needed. I got to do things like running a school sports day, helping the elderly in the community and focusing on practical skills such as CV writing and interviews. My confidence just grew and grew.”
As part of the course, Lewis got to spend some time on shifts at Southeastern, which supports and sponsors the course.
Lewis, from Herne Bay, Kent, said: “I showed up on the first day at 4.30am as I didn’t want to risk being late. I was hooked in hours. Unless you’ve worked on the railways you have no idea what goes on to make it all happen. I found it fascinating and really wanted to be a part of it.”
Lewis applied for a job and was put on a waiting list for a vacancy. “I felt hope for the first time in the longest time.”
His first job, after three months’ training on safety and how the network operates, was in the ticket office at Westgate-on-Sea station.
Lewis said: “It is a small station and I worked there on my own. I cleaned it all up and made it as nice as I possibly could.
“I got to know regular passengers and got a real kick out of helping people plan their journeys and keep safe. I soon realised I loved being a key part of the community, there to help people and spend time getting to know them.”
Two months ago, Lewis was promoted to dispatcher at Faversham, helping passengers on and off trains and sending the trains on their way.
“I love it – it is so busy and I feel a real part of the railway.
“This move has made me realise that there are loads of opportunities for me within the company. It isn’t what I thought I wanted when I was younger. It’s better than that.”
I get a real kick out of helping people