Due to the huge national growth and investment in the rail market, the industry is predicting a significant skills shortage over the next 10 years. In order to meet this challenge and offer young people an exciting career pathway, Newcastle College Rail Academy trains and delivers the rail engineers of the future.

The Academy is the first of its kind in the North East and was developed in conjunction with the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering (NSARE) and key rail employers such as Network Rail. The purpose-built facility consists of a number of real working environments to train technicians and engineers in a variety of realistic operational scenarios.

The facility is based in Gateshead, and benefits from easy access via the Heworth and Felling Metro stations, Heworth Bus Interchange and is approximately 15 minutes away from major motorway road links.