ATW Trainee train driver vacancies

[Mbay]

On this job advertised, when it asks to complete the personal statement, is that were you give evidence against the jdq?
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And is there anything else to complete after that? Any limit on words etc? I had made a start.

 

[craigybagel]

And is there anything else to complete after that? Any limit on words etc? I had made a start.

Thats all there was to it. ATW have a wonderfully simple application process.

 

[DavidUK]

Just had a look on the website and it says they are now shortlisting candidates.

Does anybody know if ATW are looking for national standard or enhanced stage 1 assessment scores?

 

[TDK]

Just had a look on the website and it says they are now shortlisting candidates.

Does anybody know if ATW are looking for national standard or enhanced stage 1 assessment scores?

Does it make a difference?

 

[Hprice1099]

Just had a look on the website and it says they are now shortlisting candidates.

Does anybody know if ATW are looking for national standard or enhanced stage 1 assessment scores?

Enhanced

 

[Rnash851]

I can't seem to find the job applications on the atw site.
Am I to late for these trainee positions????
Anyone help please????

 

[stevehw]

I can't seem to find the job applications on the atw site.
Am I to late for these trainee positions????
Anyone help please????

Yeah they've been pulled as they've more than likely had enough applicants unfortunately.

 

[TDK]

I can't seem to find the job applications on the atw site.
Am I to late for these trainee positions????
Anyone help please????

You need to get your application in the day the job is advertised.

 

[D-P-1990]

Enhanced

What's the difference between the two? Higher assessment pass threshold?

 

[TDK]

What's the difference between the two? Higher assessment pass threshold?

One is the national standard pass and the other is a higher grade pass depending on TOC, it is used to dwindle down the number of applicants who pass if there are too many. It's all down to the practice material readily available on line giving false passes. When I took my Psychometric assessment there were 60 applicants for 10 jobs and only 3 passed in the group If it was in now it would be 20 plus no doubt not including interviews. FYI the MMI was not a part of the assessment process when I took mine if I remember correctly.

 

[Mbay]

What type of things are on the psychometric test?

 

[007]

It's not really an advantage with ATW as they generally make you take them again whether you have passed them recently or not as i found out personally

Why would they make people re-do the tests if enhanced scores have already been achieved?

 

[tiptoptaff]

Arriva hold all of their assessments in house, not sure if that has anything to do with it

 

[kelv]

anyone know if this involves spending time in Cardiff like the trainee conductors do ?

 

[craigybagel]

anyone know if this involves spending time in Cardiff like the trainee conductors do ?

Any successful external candidates will presumably have to do the ATW induction course before they do the drivers course, which is normally in Cardiff. The job advert said training would take place in Chester, which has a training centre and simulators, but I believe the last driver's course that took place there may have also spent some time in Cardiff. Incidentally, whilst most conductor courses take place in Cardiff, they do sometimes take place in the north. There is one due to start very shortly, if it hasn't already, in Chester.

 

[Mbay]

With this app, it asked for a personal statement. Are you to evidence against the competencies they want in that bit? And is there more to do once that bit is done? Just for future reference and do most TOCs ask the same?

 

[red2005]

Why would they make people re-do the tests if enhanced scores have already been achieved?

Don't ask me i don't set the rules i just follow them, I know they aren't the only TOC to do this though. I don't know if it's changed since i applied but i know London Midland were the same back then as were Lorol.
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Any successful external candidates will presumably have to do the ATW induction course before they do the drivers course, which is normally in Cardiff. The job advert said training would take place in Chester, which has a training centre and simulators, but I believe the last driver's course that took place there may have also spent some time in Cardiff. Incidentally, whilst most conductor courses take place in Cardiff, they do sometimes take place in the north. There is one due to start very shortly, if it hasn't already, in Chester.

core traction is a 150 so they do have you down there at some point as they feel that's where you will have most joy in getting hold of one to play with. as mentioned above there is also the induction so applicants will be there at least 5 days.

 

[kelv]

Any successful external candidates will presumably have to do the ATW induction course before they do the drivers course, which is normally in Cardiff. The job advert said training would take place in Chester, which has a training centre and simulators, but I believe the last driver's course that took place there may have also spent some time in Cardiff. Incidentally, whilst most conductor courses take place in Cardiff, they do sometimes take place in the north. There is one due to start very shortly, if it hasn't already, in Chester.

right, that'll be the conductor position I applied for, which as I remember said about 6 weeks in Cardiff. They may utilise the Northern one that opened in Manchester once the franchise changes, if as some seemed to think some ATW would move over to Arriva Northern as well i.e. the English depots.

I seem to recall that ATW conductors are on more money as well arent they ? not sure about drivers but if it switched over to the new franchise then is the pay protected or are all Northern Rail in line for a pay rise with the new franchise.

 

[tiptoptaff]

Don't ask me i don't set the rules i just follow them, I know they aren't the only TOC to do this though. I don't know if it's changed since i applied but i know London Midland were the same back then as were Lorol.
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core traction is a 150 so they do have you down there at some point as they feel that's where you will have most joy in getting hold of one to play with. as mentioned above there is also the induction so applicants will be there at least 5 days.

There's a sim in Chester and plenty of 150 diagrams, no need to send them to Cardiff. The induction will be held in Chester as it's the northern HQ and has a training centre akin to Cardiff just without an assessment centre. No real need for them to come down to Cardiff, plus induction is only three days.
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right, that'll be the conductor position I applied for, which as I remember said about 6 weeks in Cardiff. They may utilise the Northern one that opened in Manchester once the franchise changes, if as some seemed to think some ATW would move over to Arriva Northern as well i.e. the English depots.

I seem to recall that ATW conductors are on more money as well arent they ? not sure about drivers but if it switched over to the new franchise then is the pay protected or are all Northern Rail in line for a pay rise with the new franchise.

They are completely separate franchises and have nothing to do with each other. The Cardiff jobs are interviewing at the moment, for courses all year.

 

[D-P-1990]

Does anyone have a rough idea how long it'll take them to get past the shortlisting? The ad said the interviews were planned for early Feb, so I'd assume that phase will be done very soon so they can send interview invites out?

Also, if anyone has ever been unsuccessful with ATW, do they contact you to tell you that you haven't made an interview?

 

[red2005]

There's a sim in Chester and plenty of 150 diagrams, no need to send them to Cardiff. The induction will be held in Chester as it's the northern HQ and has a training centre akin to Cardiff just without an assessment centre. No real need for them to come down to Cardiff, plus induction is only three days.
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They are completely separate franchises and have nothing to do with each other. The Cardiff jobs are interviewing at the moment, for courses all year.

yes they do have a sim in chester (spent many an hour on it) and they do have plenty of 150 diagrams there (worked plenty of them)......that was also the case in june 2014 when i was sent down to Cardiff to do my training despite being based up north as that is where it was thought we would have better access to class 150's.....it was also the same with the course after ours as well.

There was no need for us to go down there but we did. Since when did "need" have anything to do with railway decision making lol? Just because there are plenty of 150 diagrams it certainly doesn't mean you have the time to go scratching around underneath them for training purposes.....plenty to drive yes but to take to one side to train people? not so much

and FYI the Cambrian external trainees actually went to cardiff for their induction also despite chester and shrewsbury being closer.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Does anyone have a rough idea how long it'll take them to get past the shortlisting? The ad said the interviews were planned for early Feb, so I'd assume that phase will be done very soon so they can send interview invites out?

Also, if anyone has ever been unsuccessful with ATW, do they contact you to tell you that you haven't made an interview?

i wouldn't expect anything to happen too quickly considering the numbers that have applied, May take a while to whittle it down.

 

[craigybagel]

right, that'll be the conductor position I applied for, which as I remember said about 6 weeks in Cardiff. They may utilise the Northern one that opened in Manchester once the franchise changes, if as some seemed to think some ATW would move over to Arriva Northern as well i.e. the English depots.

I seem to recall that ATW conductors are on more money as well arent they ? not sure about drivers but if it switched over to the new franchise then is the pay protected or are all Northern Rail in line for a pay rise with the new franchise.

Not much difference in drivers salary, but a considerable difference in conductors salary. But as has been said, its not something anyone needs to worry about just yet.

yes they do have a sim in chester (spent many an hour on it) and they do have plenty of 150 diagrams there (worked plenty of them)......that was also the case in june 2014 when i was sent down to Cardiff to do my training despite being based up north as that is where it was thought we would have better access to class 150's.....it was also the same with the course after ours as well.

There was no need for us to go down there but we did. Since when did "need" have anything to do with railway decision making lol? Just because there are plenty of 150 diagrams it certainly doesn't mean you have the time to go scratching around underneath them for training purposes.....plenty to drive yes but to take to one side to train people? not so much

and FYI the Cambrian external trainees actually went to cardiff for their induction also despite chester and shrewsbury being closer.
.

Indeed, I'm not sure if they ever do inductions away from Cardiff? Given its normally the same trainer doing one every month and he's based down there.

As for 150s, there's almost always at least one sitting on Canton depot to play with, plus lots of diagrams passing through the area. During the day at Chester the only booked 150 is the Crewe shuttle, which is there for 10 minutes out of every hour. Not much opportunity to have a look around, especially if you want to do stuff that requires a not to be moved board! I know that even for conductors they found it a lot easier to do traction training in Cardiff than in Chester, except for 175s.

 

[gez]

There's a sim in Chester and plenty of 150 diagrams, no need to send them to Cardiff. The induction will be held in Chester as it's the northern HQ and has a training centre akin to Cardiff just without an assessment centre. No real need for them to come down to Cardiff, plus induction is only three days.


My induction as a guard was 5 days. It was hard enough trying to get all types of traction covered down at Canton on our course so trying to get free units up North would be very difficult. As for guards, we hardly got near the simulator as driver courses had them booked. Cardiff is good for actually working trains as guards because the Valleys have lots of stop starting , so getting lots of dispatch practice in is easier. Mainline isn't as intense with stops so for a group to get their share can take a while. I found it easy down there as you could go back to the hotel and get stuck into your workbook without distractions at home.

I'm sure Red2005 can speak for the drivers as he has after all been there and done it, must've learnt how to sit around drinking coffee all day from somewhere!

 

[craigybagel]

My induction as a guard was 5 days. It was hard enough trying to get all types of traction covered down at Canton on our course so trying to get free units up North would be very difficult. As for guards, we hardly got near the simulator as driver courses had them booked. Cardiff is good for actually working trains as guards because the Valleys have lots of stop starting , so getting lots of dispatch practice in is easier. Mainline isn't as intense with stops so for a group to get their share can take a while. I found it easy down there as you could go back to the hotel and get stuck into your workbook without distractions at home.

There was a guards course run in Shrewsbury only a few weeks before my own Cardiff course. It was interesting to compare the two (3 of the guards on that course are at my depot) - one of the big differences was that the northern trained guards found it much harder to get traction time in, compared to us at Cardiff who went to Canton at least once a week, and like you spent lots of time out on the valleys as well.

Induction really is just down to 3 days now, I think it was last year they reduced it. It's a pity really, I enjoyed the induction week!

I'm sure Red2005 can speak for the drivers as he has after all been there and done it, must've learnt how to sit around drinking coffee all day from somewhere!

Now now,that's harsh. Occasionally they go down to the shop to buy breakfast too

 

[red2005]

There was a guards course run in Shrewsbury only a few weeks before my own Cardiff course. It was interesting to compare the two (3 of the guards on that course are at my depot) - one of the big differences was that the northern trained guards found it much harder to get traction time in, compared to us at Cardiff who went to Canton at least once a week, and like you spent lots of time out on the valleys as well.

Induction really is just down to 3 days now, I think it was last year they reduced it. It's a pity really, I enjoyed the induction week!



Now now,that's harsh. Occasionally they go down to the shop to buy breakfast too

Ha ha ha i would love to be able to deny this craigy lad but he's got me all ends up! lol.....cheers for the support though he he he......back from long weekend today and spare everyday till saturday! quite a few brews will be sunk

 

[sw1ller]

If it's the same as the last two years then you will get an e-mail saying you have been shortlisted to a telephone interview, once you do that it's the managers interview and then off to do the tests! I have no clue if they send you an email if you don't get past the initial sift sorry.

 

[D-P-1990]

If it's the same as the last two years then you will get an e-mail saying you have been shortlisted to a telephone interview, once you do that it's the managers interview and then off to do the tests! I have no clue if they send you an email if you don't get past the initial sift sorry.

Ahh right thanks for clearing that up man. Well I believe the applications were originally meant to be open until Monday 18'th with a view to interview in early February, so hopefully applicants will hear back within the next week?
I had a phone interview for my current job, I find them a lot less intense. Losing circulation in my fingers as they've practically been crossed since I put my application in on 4'th!

 

[craigybagel]

Ha ha ha i would love to be able to deny this craigy lad but he's got me all ends up! lol.....cheers for the support though he he he......back from long weekend today and spare everyday till saturday! quite a few brews will be sunk

To be fair, everything I know about good eating spots on the railways came from you guys up front!

Being serious though, I wonder how many guards have gone for this job, and other internal staff?

 

[tiptoptaff]

To be fair, everything I know about good eating spots on the railways came from you guys up front!

Being serious though, I wonder how many guards have gone for this job, and other internal staff?

At least all of the ones sat spare on Strike day - what else did they have to do? Other than a massive game of twister....

 

[craigybagel]

At least all of the ones sat spare on Strike day - what else did they have to do? Other than a massive game of twister....

Fwiw its worth a lot of guards had training days or were sent out on to the station to assist with customer service duties! But yes, you do make a good point.