The start of your railway career journey
Getting Started
Many people who first consider working on the railway discover that they do not have all the information they need about the process of getting trained and finding work within the industry. The links in this section aim to provide you with all the basic information you need about sponsorship, Sentinel cards and Personal Track Safety (PTS) so that you can decide how to take your next steps to a career on the rail infrastructure.
If you want to get on board, begin to plan your journey with TES 2000.
The next steps:
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Before you can work on the rail infrastructure you must find an employer who will act as your Primary Sponsor and who will assume responsibility for your competence management and training. Prior to this however you will need to undertake a Network Rail Approved Medical and Drug and Alcohol Screening to ensure you are medically fit to work within the industry. Once you have passed this, Primary Sponsorship can be taken up, with you being issued with a Sentinel Card and unique number.
The next steps:
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To work on the Rail Infrastructure you must attend and successfully pass the Personal Track Safety, or PTS Course. Before taking part in the one-day event, you will have to complete and pass an e-learning module accessed via the Network Rail e-learning portal. To check you have fully understood and retained what you have learnt in these modules you will be given a Verification Test on the first morning of the PTS Course. Assuming you pass this, you will then go on to complete the remainder of the course, at which point you will be able to work on the railway for your Primary Sponsor.
The next steps:
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Your PTS Competence will allow your to undertake basic duties under the supervision on the Infrastructure but should you wish to further your career, you then have the option, with the support of your Primary Sponsor to undertake further training in one of the specialist fields, as described in our COURSES section.