Groupe Eurotunnel becomes first private group to gain approval from French government for “Train Driver” training
CIFFCO (The Opal Coast International Railway Training Centre), established by Groupe Eurotunnel, has obtained recognition for its “Train Driver” training programme on the national register of professional certifications in France.
Until recently, the SNCF was the only company with this recognition. The recognition by the state of this fast growing activity proves the value of the demanding and practical work done to support youth employment and which calls upon many professional skills: autonomy, route knowledge, safety procedures, mechanical qualifications, customer information, etc.
The approval of this qualification will enable CIFFCO to award national certificates via on the job training (apprenticeships).
The role of the Train Driver is evolving, with increasing responsibilities: railway operators are recruiting hundreds of drivers every year, with Europorte, the Railfreight subsidiary of Groupe Eurotunnel, having created 1,000 new jobs since its inception.
Xavier Moulins, Groupe Eurotunnel HR Director, stated:
“CIFFCO has high quality trainers and state of the art equipment. It is ready to react to the increasing demand for railway training programmes. We are very proud of this recognition, which is the result of detailed work to deliver our development strategy for a growing and sustainable railway industry”.
