West Midlands engineering scholar provided mentorship by Avanti West Coast in UK rail first

• Samraj Ojelay inspired to pursue a railway career through his mentorship with Avanti West Coast
• The operator is the first to directly sponsor students with Arkwright Engineering Scholarships
• The scholarships are awarded to a select number of high-calibre students

A West Midlands engineering student is now considering a career in rail thanks to Avanti West Coast’s involvement in an esteemed UK-wide scholarship scheme.

Samraj Ojelay has become the first student enrolled on the prestigious Arkwright Engineering Scholarship program to be provided mentorship directly by a UK rail operator.

The 17-year-old, who attends Queen Mary's Grammar School in Walsall, spent a week with Avanti West Coast’s engineering team earlier this year, as part of the program, to learn first-hand what goes on behind the scenes to maintain and improve their trains.

Throughout his two-year sponsorship, Samraj is being mentored by one of the operator’s Fleet Engineers, Andrew Skinner, who boasts extensive experience from his time working in the rail industry

Speaking about his experience and mentorship, Samraj said: “I’m really grateful to Avanti West Coast and Andrew for this incredible opportunity. I valued every second of my work experience and having a career in rail has now become something that I could see myself potentially doing in the future.”

Arkwright Engineering Scholarships, a programme run by The Smallpeice Trust, are awarded to a select number of high-calibre students after a rigorous selection process, support recipients through their school A-Levels and encourage them to pursue further education opportunities and careers in Engineering, Computing or Technical Design.

In his five days with the intercity operator, the student visited maintenance provider Alstom’s Midlands Traincare Centre in Wolverhampton where he witnessed first-hand the extensive work that goes into servicing Avanti West Coast’s train fleets. He also met colleagues from the wider business at its offices in Birmingham and London, gaining a new perspective on all the roles available on the railway.

Samraj added: “I had never really thought about a career in rail, but through my work with Avanti West Coast and the valuable insights from Andrew, I gained a real appreciation for the large scale of their operation. I hadn’t considered nor appreciated the level of detail and planning that actually goes into keeping trains running on a day-to-day basis.”

“Originally my career thinking was about getting into civil engineering, in particular the structural side of it; but now, thanks to my experiences with Avanti, I'm more into mechanical engineering and maybe even civil transportation.

The operator has offered two-year sponsorship to around four Arkwright Engineering Scholars every year since 2022, which includes some financial support for studies, and, from this year, a week’s work experience and access to a mentor.

Samraj’s mentor Andrew said: “Samraj is a passionate young engineering prospect who has an extremely bright future ahead of him, and it great to hear that he is now considering a career in rail after his time with Avanti West Coast.

“It is important for us to inspire future workforce generations and by mentoring a selection of Arkwright Scholarship students we are able to showcase the opportunities in rail available to those studying engineering.”

Chris Byrne, Head of Community Programmes at The Smallpeice Trust, who run the Arkwright Engineering Scholarships programme said: “We are incredibly proud to see the positive relationships that develop between Scholars like Samraj and sponsors like Avanti West Coast. The opportunities that organisations like Avanti offer to our Scholars are invaluable for helping them develop and find their way into the world of Engineering. It’s always rewarding to see that the impact goes both ways when Scholars like Samraj leave such a positive and lasting impression in return.”

ENDS