A Derby train leasing giant has been named as the headline sponsor of an annual competitition designed to encourage young people in the Midlands to consider a career in rail.
Porterbrook, which is headquartered on Pride Park, has agreed to sponsor the 2019 iRail Grand Challenge.
Organised by regional rail industry body Rail Forum Midlands, iRail sees Year 9 students in schools from across both East and West Midlands participate in a number of engineering challenges.
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The winners of the regional heats are then invited to participate in the iRail Grand Challenge; which in 2018 saw four schools submit bids to run a fictitious rail franchise, in response to an invitation to tender designed by Porterbrook graduates.
The teams participating in the iRail Grand Challenge are judged by a panel drawn from both public and private sectors; with engineering and operating expertise.
The judges for 2019 will be Porterbook chief executive Mary Grant, Neil Bamford, engineering director at West Midlands Trains, Mike Noakes, head of rail at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Neil Robertson, chief executive of the National Skills Academy for Rail.
Mrs Grant said: “We are delighted to support iRail in 2019 as part of our commitment to developing the next generation of rail industry professionals.
“I’m also very pleased that Mike Noakes, Neil Bamford and Neil Robertson have agreed to serve with me on this year’s judging panel.
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“Their encouragement and support for the young people of today will help us and industry deliver the leaders we need for the railway of tomorrow.”
Last year’s finalists were Loughborough High School, Derby Manufacturing UTC, Aston University Engineering Academy and Holte School, Birmingham.
The 2018 competition was won by the team from Aston University Engineering Academy, which was invited to the House of Commons to be presented with an award and £1,000 prize money (to spend on teaching equipment) by Lilian Greenwood MP, chairman of the Transport Select Committee.