It's never too late to pursue a new career path

Having spent most of his life in hospitality, Abdul Salik faced a period of unemployment before joining the Rail Engineering SWAP course at Leicester College. After arriving from Bangladesh in the 1970s, he helped in his father's restaurant, before owning his own restaurants and most recently, also working for Amazon.

Why the course at Leicester College?

“The Job Centre recommended that I re-train through the SWAP course at Leicester College, which I eagerly pursued due to strong career prospects in the rail sector. My dad also had a background in engineering, which influenced my interest in the field,” explained Abdul.

“I was very keen to take action on this as there are good career prospects in the rail sector – particularly in maintenance. Although the industry was new to me, I wanted new qualifications and skills.

“The course was brilliant and the tutors were a great help. I put in a lot of hard work and was the only one to pass every stage of the coursework. I especially enjoyed writing the reports after working on the tracks, and the safety briefings were also excellent."

Next steps and future aspirations

Abdul continued: "I'm currently working on the construction of the new Wixham station near Bedford, which is part of a new village being developed along the rail link between St Pancras and Bedford.

"In this role, you typically start as a blue hat and usually move up within 6-12 months. However, I earned my white hat in just three months!

“I'm employed by Rail Power Construction, based in Stockport, and previously worked for Infrastructure Support Systems since graduating from my course. I've been involved in signal work, fencing, digging and network tasks. My goal is to eventually become a Controller of Site Safety.”

Recommending the course to others

“I highly recommend the course to anyone. It's not just about working on the track—there are many ways to enter the rail industry for well-paid and productive jobs. At 57, after switching from hospitality, I have no plans to retire!

“I applied to Network Rail shortly after finishing the course and secured an interview ahead of many others, but unfortunately, I lacked track experience at that stage. With support from my tutors, I quickly found employment after completing the course,” concludes Abdul.