Industry: Transport
Client: West Midlands Trains
Services used: Professional skills development, mentoring skills training
About West Midlands Trains
West Midlands Trains operates two regional rail brands, West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway, serving communities from Liverpool to London and across the Midlands. The company prides itself on delivering a great passenger experience and a culture of safety, service, and professionalism.
Behind every great rail journey is a skilled team. And as part of its commitment to workforce development, West Midlands Trains is focused on helping early-career engineers thrive, by giving them the right support from the start.
The challenge: supporting new apprentices with meaningful mentoring
Each year, West Midlands Trains welcomes four to six new engineering apprentices. These apprentices study at college while gaining hands-on experience across the company’s engineering teams.
While day-to-day support was already in place through line management, the business recognised an opportunity to enhance the apprentice experience, not just helping them succeed in their current roles, but preparing them for long-term professional success in the rail industry.
To achieve this, West Midlands Trains launched a mentoring programme. But many of the experienced engineers who volunteered had never formally mentored before, and wanted support to do it well.
Our solution: practical, tailored mentoring skills training for engineers
CAPE People Development partnered with the internal project lead to co-design a bespoke one-day mentoring workshop, tailored specifically for West Midlands Trains’ technical environment.
The aim was to equip new mentors with both practical tools and personal confidence, helping them understand their role and build the skills needed to support apprentice engineers.
Key elements of the programme included:
- Exploring what mentoring is (and what it isn’t)
- Identifying the mindset and behaviours of effective mentors
- Learning key skills such as active listening, empathy, and curiosity
- Practising real mentoring conversations in a safe and supportive space
- Introducing a simple, structured mentoring framework for ongoing support
- Sharing internal tools and processes to help mentors feel prepared and connected
To build momentum and sustain learning, we also delivered a follow-up session three months later, where mentors could reflect, share what had worked, and troubleshoot challenges together.
The results: confident mentors, empowered apprentices, and stronger teams
After the initial workshop and follow-up, mentors reported a marked increase in their confidence. They no longer saw mentoring as simply “giving advice”, they understood how to create space for their mentees to reflect, grow, and make decisions for themselves.
They also gained a deeper awareness of their own career stories, using past challenges and lessons learned to support and inspire the next generation.
The mentoring programme now plays an active role in the apprentice experience at West Midlands Trains, helping engineers build not just technical skills, but resilience, confidence and a sense of belonging in the business.
Why it matters in technical and operational roles
In fast-moving, safety-critical industries like transport, there’s often little time for formal development. That’s why mentoring can be a powerful tool, when it’s done well.
But without the right support, mentors can feel unsure of their role, and early-career employees may not get the full benefit of the relationship.
CAPE’s tailored approach gives teams:
✅ Clarity around the purpose and structure of mentoring
✅ Confidence to lead powerful conversations
✅ Practical tools to support mentees without needing all the answers
✅ A culture of learning and leadership, from the ground up
Want to equip your mentors with the skills to lead and inspire?
Let’s explore how a tailored workshop could support your team and strengthen your talent pipeline.
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