Accelerated Leaders Programmes
For the whole rail industry

Invest in your professional development

Develop your leadership skills

The Accelerated Leaders' Programmes (ALP) are sponsored by the Network Rail Board and its Executive Leadership Team and are designed to develop your leadership skills, whether you are an aspiring future leader or an established leader keen to continue your professional development.

Who's it for?

The ALP has been designed for both Network Rail and its industry partners and seeks to identify and provide accelerated leadership development for those with the highest potential for career growth within the next 3-5 years.

There are two programmes available depending on where you are in your leadership journey. Both programmes will provide an accredited qualification and will challenge you to develop the essential skills to become a future leader.

What's in it for you?

Equip yourself with the skills and knowledge to be an effective industry leader.
Explore the need for industry change to deliver a more efficient and sustainable railway in the future.
Focus on systemic business problems via experiential & project based learning.
Broaden your thinking, be more visible and more ambitious about organisational performance beyond your own functional area.
Enhance your ability to lead teams, to mobilise & deliver through others and invest in your own leadership development. Participants must be willing to make this a priority.

Want to know more?

Join our informal Q&A session

Monday 10 July at 11:00 - 11:45

Join

Our programmes

Emerging Leaders

For aspiring future leaders that want to launch into a meaningful leadership role

Who's it for: Network Rail band 4 and 5 colleagues or equivalent grades within maintenance and operations, and our industry partners.

Qualification: Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management

The Emerging Leaders Programme (ELP) is tailored for aspiring future leaders. ELP is a robust leadership development programme designed to train, develop and support the next generation of industry leaders and managers. These modules cover:

Your leadership journey
Strategic thinking
Collaborative leadership
Strategic performance management

Find out more

Leadership Exploration and Development

For established leaders that want to excel in leadership

Who's it for: Network Rail band 2 and 3 colleagues or equivalent non-role clarity grades within maintenance and operations, and our industry partners.

Qualification: Level 7 Post Graduate Award in Strategic Leadership

The Leadership, Exploration and Development (LEaD) programme is tailored for high performing established senior leaders looking to excel in leadership. LEaD is a robust leadership development programme designed to challenge our best industry leaders and to continue their professional development. The four modules include:

Your leadership journey and sustainable leadership
Working together and strategic partnerships
Customer focus and collaborative leadership
Delivering results and strategic performance management

Find out more

Ready to invest in your personal development?

Apply between

3 July - 4 August

Click to apply

If you're ready to invest in your own personal development and want to challenge yourself to excel at leadership, join the 2023/2024 Accelerated Leaders Programmes.

Benefits of applying

Supported by a personal coach: You’ll be supported throughout by a dedicated personal coach who will encourage your development.

Develop your network of industry leaders: Access to invaluable networking opportunities with colleagues and senior managers across the industry.

Work on meaningful business change: As part of the programme you’ll work on a meaningful business change project, which will broaden your knowledge and challenge your thinking.

Accredited qualification: Both programmes will lead to you gaining an industry recognised accredited qualification which will support your career development.

Hear from previous participants

Find out what some of our previous candidates thought about the ALP and how is has helped them to develop both personally and professionally to progress their careers.

Learnings from previous candidates of the ALP

Selina Suri

Project manager

Course: Leadership Exploration & Development

"The ALP scheme came at a great time for me to expand my hard and soft skills in leadership and help me network amongst railway colleagues to help my career exceed. The ALP takes real life theories and applies them using the railway industry to help us become industry leaders one day, the content is relevant, up to date and thought provoking. As a delivery project manager working in track renewals, my days consist of either on track shifts or office meetings preparing for the works on the weekend and the ALP has given me insight on how to be a better leader and apply strategic leadership theories into my everyday work."

Emma Taylor

Commercial manager

Course: Emerging Leaders

"I would absolutely recommend the ALP. Before enrolling we weren’t given much information of what the programme would entail in regard to course content and time management but now, I do know, I would without a doubt praise it’s benefits and its delivery. The course pushes participants to unlock new ways of thinking, to think outside the box and to challenge the perception of what they have always known or deemed to be the norm. The skills that are taught not only are catered for leadership and career progression within the industry as a whole but also caters to each individual to enable personal growth and reflection.

"Not only does the programme provide the organisation with a reflective and arguably more enriched employee, it also promotes a collaborative work ethic which proves invaluable for the client/contractor relationship. I have met such a wide and varied group of individuals who give an insight to not only the client’s point of view but also TOCs and FOCs.

"It promotes a great understanding of successful leadership whilst focusing on inter-personal skills which not only enriches the individual but also how day to day communication with the client and colleagues takes place."

Chris New

Local operations manager

Course: Emerging Leaders

“ I have very much enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of the ALP course for 2023. I have already seen great benefits to the course and am making changes to my working practices which is having a positive affect on both myself and my colleagues. It has also provided me with the chance to meet people from other departments of Network Rail and the wider rail industry who I would not encounter during the course of my day to day work life. This is giving me a better insight into the industry and expanding my network of trusted colleagues which I am already using to help solve problems I may of struggled finding help with before this course.”