DCG Success Stories

Ross Sexton, Operations and Retail Training Manager with East Midlands Railway, firmly believes that learning should be fun.

And, taking the Level 5 Certificate in Education Post 14 (Education and Training) (Cert Ed) FE and Skills course with Derby College Group has helped him to ‘revamp the way in which he teaches’.

With a professional background in travel, tourism, hospitality and events, Ross said: “For me, as an entertainer, the classroom is my stage. I want the staff who come on EMR’s courses to enjoy their time learning.

As a teacher I was  self-taught, with no formal teacher training. Doing the Derby College course has brought clarity to the whys and wherefores of teaching and the techniques we use.”

Ross, who is originally from Essex, was a train manager with EMR for three years before moving into training and development with the Derby-based train operator.

In his current job he delivers training to employees in all EMR roles apart from train drivers, teaching staff of all ages and at different stages in their railway careers.

He said: “I had two children under the age of three and a full-on job working six days a week while I was studying for my level 5.

“People thought I was crazy but our lecturers were fantastic and it helped that there were others on my course in the same boat with demanding jobs and young families. I’m so pleased I did it.

“I’m going to be super busy for the next 12 months as EMR is bringing on new trains. I’m also looking at continuing professional development (CPD) in the workplace and using what I’ve learnt on my college course.

“I want to lead from the front by coming up with new ideas and inspiring my team.”