On track for rail bonanza

It is widely expected that billions of pounds of contracts will soon be up for grabs after the Government revealed it is to invest heavily in Britainís rail links.

Rail projects worth an estimated 2.3 billion have been announced during the summer, including plans to electrify the Great Western main line and overhaul rail infrastructure throughout the English regions.

Collingwoodís rail specialist Daniel Frost expects stiff competition for those prized contracts that will undoubtedly create jobs and wealth well into the future.

While news of the investment was tempered by Network Railís plans to cut 1,800 maintenance jobs, it remains certain that contracts of this magnitude will be much sought after by all those associated with the sector.

ìCompanies that want to be in with a serious chance of winning the lucrative contracts ought to be reviewing their teams now to ensure they have the talent in place to succeed,î said Daniel.

ìThe announcements over the past few weeks, and the distinct possibility of a 34 billion high speed London to Scotland rail link, have ignited this sector. We can see endless opportunities for firms who are in a position to compete.î

Collingwood's specialist rail consultants have been partnering major rail groups, other end users and suppliers to the sector for more than five years.

These include rail infrastructure and rail maintenance (in-house and third party) organisations along with manufacturers of components and parts for both rolling stock and track side operations.

Using headhunting and executive search, Collingwood specialise in recruiting white collar disciplines, namely business development, sales, marketing, purchasing and supply chain. They recruit Specialist and Management Roles throughout the UK and Europe.

Collingwoodís tried and tested processes enable its specialist consultants to identify and recruit the highest calibre candidates with specific rail industry experience and a targeted skill set.

ìI entrusted our recruitment requirements to Collingwood after mixed levels of success using our own resources,î said Kevin OíToole, Managing Director of Eurocraft Enclosures.

ìCollingwood were an ideal partner. They thoroughly understood what we were looking for in terms of technical and core competency as well as a cultural and personality fit.

ìThe Collingwood search team spent time exploring our values and team dynamics and then using a variety of tools deployed a ëfocused searchí that pulled together a short list of candidates for our review.

ìThe result was a final shortlist of three candidates and we would have employed all three if it were possible, such was the match to our requirements.î

To discuss how Collingwood can partner you to recruit high calibre individuals, call one of our consultants on 01829 732374 or email us on daniel.frost@collingwoodsearch.co.uk.