Mark Carne, chief executive of Network Rail, has re-pledged the organisation’s support of the armed forces community by signing an updated version of the Armed Forces Covenant.
“We hugely value the role of the people from the armed forces in our company and actively encourage people who are leaving the armed forces to consider joining us”, said Carne, who signed the covenant on Reservists Day.
“We find that those with an armed service background come with a natural sense of discipline, team work and leadership. They’ve come from a safety critical business where risk management is so important and where managing projects on time and on budget is crucial. In short, they embody so many of the virtues that we need in our organisation.”
He added: “Our pledge is a small matter compared to the enormous commitment that each and every one of them gives to their roles.”
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Network Rail senior programme manager Alan Pattison is a flying officer in the RAF and attended the covenant re-signing.
“I met my wife when I was in the RAF,” he said. “The rules back then stated that one of us had to leave if we wanted to remain together, so I did but I always missed it.
“The support that Network Rail has given to me since I decided to join the reserves has meant that I’ve been able to enjoy the best of both worlds for the past five years. It’s a juggle but I love both my roles and the satisfaction that they give to me.”
Network Rail first signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2015. In November 2017, its work to support members of the armed forces into the workplace was recognised when it received Armed Forces Covenant Gold Employer Recognition Scheme status.
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