We are pleased to announce that Martin Jones joins Morson Training as a Non-Executive Director. Martin has an extensive background in training and the rail industry, working with Network Rail for 20 years as Head of Training and Delivery.
As we continue to develop and push in new directions, having someone as experienced as Martin, who has been at the highest level of delivery in our industry, is a great opportunity.
We spoke with Martin about his experience and what attracted him to Morson Training:
How did you get involved in the rail industry?
“I joined the rail industry 41 years ago at the age of 16 as an apprentice. I joined London Underground in 1981 and spent the two years learning all aspects of the railway; from train operations and driving, to managing stations and signal boxes. After completing my apprenticeship, I became a signaller, station supervisor, then booking clerk. In 1987, I became an operations trainer and never looked back. I’d found something that I really enjoyed. I left London Underground 20 years ago to join Network Rail as the Operations Training Manager, a new role which transformed the way signallers were trained across the company. During my time in the training department, I was Head of Competence and Assurance and Head of Training Delivery.
He continued:
“In the role of training, passing on my knowledge and skills in a fun and structured way was brilliant. As soon as I found training, I never looked at doing anything else.”
What interested you in Morson Training?
“One of the key reasons I was happy to work with Matt at Morson Training is the teams’ focus on quality. The quality of training delivery in the industry is important to me and Morson have that in spades.
The platinum award received by Morson training a few years ago was well deserved and now having met the team, I can understand why, they go the extra mile to deliver outstanding service.”
Is training different now compared to when you first started in the industry?
“The quality of training materials and how training is developed has changed, it’s done in a more scientific way, considering new technology to deliver training. I come from an era where there were no computers. We used to write training materials with a pen and paper and there were no mobile phones. We’ve now got virtual reality, we’ve now got simulators, we can hold meetings and do training over a virtual network – the way training is delivered is so different. Our trainers are also professionally qualified, with a national standard that is recognised through qualifications. It’s an everchanging industry and it will continue to change with the creation of GBR and that will impact how training is delivered going forward”
How has safety in the industry changed over the years?
“Massively. The quality of the delivery has massively impacted the safety of the industry. It is the number one thing that all training deliverers I’ve come across are mindful of including themselves and how they behave, wear the right kit and use the right language. They make sure that they challenge any unsafe act or behaviour that they see and there’s still a way to go, but I’ve seen a massive change over the years.”
We are proud to welcome Martin Jones to the Morson Training team and look forward to collaborating and exploring exciting new directions.
