Rail Engineering Apprentices Recognised at On Track Technicians Celebration

Curve Training & Consultancy hosted an Apprentice Celebration Event on Friday 7 November 2025 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belfast — a day dedicated to recognising the hard work, commitment, and achievements of its apprentices across all programme years.

Hosted by comedian Aaron Butler, the event blended entertainment with recognition as apprentices were presented with framed certificates and nine individual awards across three categories — The Signal Award, The Rail Award, and The Track Award.

Andy Irwin, On Track Technicians Strategic Director and founder of the apprenticeship programme, opened the event by congratulating all apprentices on their success and reflecting on the vital role the programme plays in building the next generation of rail engineering talent across Northern Ireland.

Kathleen Faloon, Training & Development Manager at Curve who delivers the Apprenticeship Programme in partnership with South Eastern Regional College (SERC), said: “This event is one of the highlights of our year. It’s a chance to pause and celebrate the incredible journey each apprentice has made — their technical skills, their resilience, and their teamwork. Watching them develop from day one to fully qualified engineers is something we’re extremely proud of.”

The Apprentices were awarded their diplomas, a City & Guilds NVQ Level 2 for Railway Engineering Operatives, delivered at SERC’s Downpatrick Campus. Over 25 apprentices in total have undertaken the apprenticeship in the past five years, with many remaining in the rail industry and some transferring to other engineering disciplines with the qualifications they gained on the apprenticeship.

Among the award winners were Jason McCone, Robbie Hefferon, and Shaun Crawford who received The Signal Award for academic achievement; Cole Annesley-Smyth, Chris Davidson, and Adam Murphy who were recognised with The Rail Award for excellence on the job; and Joshua McAteer, Stephen Simpson, and Caleb Hammond, who earned The Track Award, a peer-voted award celebrating teamwork and camaraderie.

The event concluded with closing remarks from Daryl Irwin, Managing Director of On Track Technicians, who extended thanks to all guests, organisers, and partners for their continued support.

“Our apprentices are the future of our industry,” Daryl said. “Today’s celebration is a testament to their hard work and determination — and to the dedication of everyone who supports their training journey.

“The On Track Technicians Apprenticeship Programme would not be possible without the ongoing partnership and support of South Eastern Regional College (SERC) and Translink and we’d like to give them our sincere thanks.”

Main Pic 1 above: The On Track Technician Apprentices, pictured with host Aaron Butler at the Apprentice Celebration Event at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belfast.  

Pic 2: Left to right: Jordan Cooke, Curve Trainer & Assessor; Victoria Boyd, Head of Training Programmes and Apprenticeships at SERC; Andrew Irwin, Strategic Director, On Track Technicians; host Aaron Butler, Kathleen Faloon, Training & Development Manager, Curve; Áine McGreeghan, Principal Lecturer – Engineering & Science at SERC and Greg Gibson, Curve Trainer & Assessor.

Pic 3: Greg Gibson, Curve Trainer & Assessor, pictured with winners of the Track Award – Caleb Hammond,   Stephen Simpson and Joshua McAteer – a peer-voted award celebrating teamwork.