Travelling on one of the new METRONET C-series railcars when they’re zipping across Perth’s rail network in the near future will be pretty cool in itself, but being able to say you were involved in building them is even cooler.

That’s exactly what 14 newly recruited TAFE students will be able to claim thanks to ALSTOM Australia’s recently launched pre-employment program that’s giving students on-the-job training and experience for future employment opportunities on the railcar program.

The training initiative is a first for ALSTOM (who are manufacturing the new railcars) and was developed in collaboration with the METRONET Gnarla Biddi (Our Pathways) team and North Metropolitan TAFE to provide employment opportunities for young Aboriginal people.

Based at ALSTOM’s purpose-built railcar manufacturing facility in Bellevue, students will receive practical training while completing two Rail Infrastructure Entry Level Skill Sets that introduce them to electrical and mechanical topics.

At the end of the 10-week program, some students will be offered apprenticeships where they will work on the factory floor delivering the new C-series railcars.

METRONET welcomes the new recruits and looks forward to following their training and employment journey as the newest People of METRONET.