NOW THAT’S PROGRESS

Internal promotion and career progression is a key area of focus following your feedback in the employee survey. Exchange met two drivers, who have just been promoted to new roles

Ryan Hall had been a policeman for 15 years and an ARL driver for five and was keen to progress his career within the business. He saw an advert to become a driver instructor (DI) and threw his hat into the ring. Following a three-day assessor course in May, he started his new role training drivers at New Cross Gate.

“I feel a huge sense of personal pride,” said Ryan. “I had to have an interview and present on a rule book module of my choice. I thought I’d done OK but you don’t really know until someone tells you you’ve succeeded. I’m looking forward to helping new drivers and those joining us from other companies learn how to drive trains on our route.”

A mentor and instructor during his time in the police, Ryan said he liked to build rapport with people, so applying to become a DI felt like a natural kind of progression. And his ambition isn’t stopping there as he’s working towards a City & Guilds Assessors qualification with the Chartered Institute of Rail Operators, paid for by ARL as part of the people development programme that was open to all staff in 2022. “I want to do as much as I can to branch out and progress so I can make decisions and affect change,” he said.

PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF

John Heyfron was asked two years ago if he’d like to apply for a driver manager (DM) role. “The operations manager was looking for people who would be a good fit, and I was sounded out by another DM,” said John. “But I felt I needed more experience, and so turned down the opportunity to apply.”

Fast forward to today and with five years of driving experience now under his belt, John felt he was ready. During a meeting with his manager, he asked for details of the DM role and said he’d like to know if any opportunities were coming up. His persistence paid off and he is now in charge of 28 drivers at Stratford.

“I had to submit my CV and attend an assessment day at Palestra with all the other internal candidates where we went through four different scenarios. Then, after these had been reviewed, I returned for a formal interview.”

John admitted that although it was something he wanted to do, he knew he was still relatively new – and others applying had been around longer. “I decided to use it as a learning experience in case I didn’t get it this time, but I must have done something right,” he said. “I’ve never been someone short of confidence, but it’s still nice to get the reassurance that you’re doing a good job.”