CLOSING STEAM’S SKILLS GAP
HENRY CLEARY, BOILER & ENGINEERING SKILLS TRAINING TRUST (BESTT) PROJECT TRUSTEE
www.hornby.com
THOUGH WE might not always think it, we’re mere custodians of these old machines we adore. With this realisation surely comes a responsibility to not only disseminate our passion for steam to the next generation, but also pass on our skills, without which a worst case scenario of engines relegated to static display seems inevitable. Though thankfully, there are people out there thinking ahead…
Henry Cleary of the BESTT, among others, sought to address the skills gap that represents a far greater threat to the long-term survival of preserved steam than any coal shortage or pandemic. “BESTT grew out of the attempt to relocate the Israel Newton & Sons works in Bradford.” The process confirmed the need for a central boiler and engineering works to not only serve marine, traction and locomotive steam sectors with a proper engineering facility, but also to offer a training hub for apprentices. “We were really fortunate as just as we were starting up, Richard Gibbon retired from the National Railway
Museum, so together with Tony Simons, they created the first preserved railspecific syllabus from scratch.”
All this was made possible because of a winning bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund, which came with certain stipulations. “We were encouraged to seek our young people from deprived and ethnically diverse areas. To achieve this, we approached the Prince’s Trust, whose help has proved pivotal.” Candidates from Leeds and Leicester were quickly found and proved to be great assets. “Beyond the usual steam fanatics, we’ve been really encouraged to discover that plenty of young people are very willing to engage with heritage engineering.”
Somewhat refreshingly, Henry tells us that he’s finding that it’s no great challenge to recruit suitable young people. “We’ve attended careers and model fairs, in addition to spreading the news on social media. We select our young people not just via verbal interviews but also by asking potential trainee candidates to bring in an example of what they’ve repaired or built in the past. We make it very clear that our course is practical, which tends to attract the right people.
“We have placed 28 new apprentices into roles all over the country. With training completed, 17 went into paid roles in the heritage sector. Most others have also gone into paid roles, including on the national network, and three are continuing at their existing railways. We help as much as we can with finding employment but limited roles in preserved steam is an on-going issue.”
The BESTT training courses allow new apprentices to put their vital heritage engineering knowledge to good use, but the numbers are far fewer than in heritage automotive. “We look at the classic car world with envy – we simply need more paid roles in heritage steam.”
YOUNG PEOPLE ARE VERY WILLING TO ENGAGE WITH ENGINEERING