UK: The Chartered Institution of Railway Operators invoked the spirit of the former British Rail Graduate Scheme as it launched a ‘whole system’ management training programme in Swindon on February 24.
CIRO says the Integrated Railway Operations Leadership Scheme has been developed in response to long-standing industry concerns about gaps in operational knowledge, capability and system-wide understanding. As experienced operational leaders leave the workforce and the railway continues to evolve, IROLS aims to support the development of current and future leaders who can operate confidently across organisational and functional boundaries.
CIRO is running IROLS on behalf of the wider rail sector as a pilot programme that will last until December 2026. A review of its success will then take place before — its backers hope — it will be made permanent.
The structure of the scheme has been informed by extensive cross-sector research and senior leader input.
Not just for graduates
During the launch event at Great Western Railway’s learning and development centre, several attendees referred to the former British Rail graduate scheme which shaped the skills of many industry leaders who emerged in the UK and international rail sectors in the years after BR was broken up.
However, CIRO stresses that IROLS is not just for graduates, and is open to candidates who have joined the through other paths or may already be junior managers or high performers within rail or supply chain organisations.
Designed as a sector-wide learning scheme, the programme combines structured learning workshops delivered by subject matter experts with authentic operational placements, exposing participants to both track and train environments. This approach is intended to help individuals better understand how the railway system fits together, the constraints faced by different parts of the industry, and the impacts of operational decision-making on safety, performance and the customer experience.
A range of challenges
Speaking at the launch event, CIRO Chair and GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood said he hoped the scheme would expose participants ‘to a broad range of challenges’ across the operational railway, giving a depth of hands-on experience that ‘got lost at privatisation’. He said he expected that IROLS would help to bring an end to ‘people protecting the contractual position of the company they work for’.
Justin Willett, Director of Operational Capability at Network Rail and a former train driver, added that ‘as we move towards a simpler, more integrated railway under Great British Railways, it is more important than ever to equip our future leaders with a clear understanding of how the network works as a whole. By recognising how decisions affect different parts of the business and thinking beyond individual teams, we can identify the opportunities that integration will unlock and achieve more together.’
CIRO Chief Executive Phil Sherratt said that the launch of the pilot marked ‘an important step forward in developing the next generation of operational leaders. Designed and delivered by CIRO in collaboration with industry partners, the programme is focused on strengthening whole-system understanding and enabling more informed, joined-up decision-making.’
