CLIMBING THE RANKS: THE SUCCESS STORIES OF HAMILTON CHIWARA AND KHALID SHAIKH

Progression and growth define the inspiring journeys of Hamilton Chiwara and Khalid Shaikh, who have become permanent members of the Arriva Rail London (ARL) family. Both started their careers as agency staff, demonstrating that with determination and hard work, anything is possible.

Hamilton Chiwara spent a year as an agency dispatcher at Norwood Junction. In mid-April, he transitioned to a permanent role, a move that provided him with the stability and longevity he sought.

Hamilton's permanent position has brought a feeling of belonging. "It’s a nice feeling to be somewhere that you know is permanent," he shares. "A lot of my day-to-day stuff hasn’t changed too much, as I was doing plenty of what I do now as agency but I can now look forward and see what the future holds for me."

Now a permanent ARL member, he is eager to support agency workers with his experience and knowledge: “I’ve been in that position and I know it can be a bit daunting at first, especially if you aren’t aware of certain things. Things are slightly different from agency to permanent so I’m always happy to help people.”

Khalid Shaikh’s path to permanence was similarly driven by a desire for growth. Formerly a team leader at Sainsbury's for over ten years, Khalid joined Lorol as an agency worker in 2012. He then moved to a part-time contract at Brockley in January 2022 before becoming a permanent dispatcher in mid-April this year.

Khalid isn’t new to some of the things you face dealing with the public, including managing football crowds at nearby Crystal Palace and saving lives, which earned him a shortlist for a safety award at Shining Stars. "No day is the same," Khalid says, emphasising the need for consistency and attentiveness in his role. He goes onto explain further: “It’s taught me to be consistent and attentive in everything I do when I’m working. We have a duty to look out for customers no matter how big or small the issue may seem – something to you could be a small problem but for that individual it may feel big.”

Earlier this year, Khalid became one of our peer trainers, an initiative introduced to help ARL colleagues learn from each other with meaningful conversations, offering advice along the way. Becoming a peer trainer was a natural progression for Khalid, allowing him to enhance his skills and support his colleagues across the Windrush Line.

ARL is committed to the internal progression, growth and development of colleagues and over the past year, more than one third of vacancies were filled internally.