• Swindon & Wiltshire Manufacturing
• Monday November 9 2026

PM visits Chippenham as Siemens opens £100m rail HQ and launches youth skills push

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has visited Chippenham on Friday (November 6) to officially open Siemens Mobility’s new £100 million Rail Technology Centre, hailing the multi-million-pound headquarters as a major boost for the Wiltshire town and Britain’s rail industry.

The state-of-the-art facility will produce digital signalling technology designed to make the UK’s railways more reliable and safer, while supporting hundreds of local jobs and apprenticeships.

It forms part of Siemens Mobility’s wider £360 million investment in British rail manufacturing and technology, which also includes up to £240 million at its Goole Rail Village in Yorkshire and £20 million in UK research and development.

Transport Secretary and Swindon South MP Heidi Alexander described the Chippenham centre as “a real boost for Chippenham and a vote of confidence in Britain’s rail industry”.

She said the digital signalling produced on site would strengthen the country’s skills base, supporting local employment and helping build the workforce Great British Railways needs for the future.

The opening was marked by a major national STEM lesson, with more than 1,000 schoolchildren joining online and 30 pupils attending in person. Pupils from 16 schools took part in the session, hosted by BAFTA-winning children’s presenter Maddie Moate, alongside Prime Minister Andy Burnham and the Transport Secretary.

Designed for 11 and 12-year-olds, the interactive lesson introduced children to the engineering and technology behind Britain’s railways through hands-on challenges, demonstrations and the chance to meet Siemens apprentices and engineers.

The aim is to help young people see the connection between classroom science and real-world careers in advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and digital technology.

The visit also saw the launch of the Siemens Tech Experience Launchpad, a new work experience programme aimed at inspiring the next generation of engineers and innovators.

The programme will create more than 3,300 high-quality work experience opportunities every year for 14 to 16-year-olds, reaching 10,000 young people over three years.

It combines digital learning with hands-on experiences across Siemens Mobility’s UK operations, giving participants the chance to meet engineers, explore real-world challenges and see how technology is transforming Britain.

The initiative supports the Government’s national mission to deliver an additional 200,000 work experience opportunities for 14 to 16-year-olds. Siemens is also calling on its network of around 2,100 suppliers and wider rail industry partners to create more opportunities for young people.

Rob Morris, managing director of Siemens Mobility UK and Ireland, said: “Britain’s railways are changing fast. From AI and digital technology to advanced manufacturing, we need a new generation of engineers and innovators to shape their future.”

He added: “Through the Siemens Tech Experience Launchpad programme, we’re opening our doors to 10,000 young people, giving them meaningful, hands-on experiences and the chance to see the exciting careers available in engineering and technology.”

Siemens has already trained or educated more than 28,000 people through its Education and Skills team and the National Training Academy for Rail since 2015. But with up to 70,000 workers potentially leaving the rail industry by 2030, the company says investing in future talent has never been more important.

Aglaja Schneider, managing director of Siemens Mobility UK and Ireland, said: “Seeing the excitement and curiosity of the children taking part in today’s national STEM lesson has been incredibly special. I started my own career as a graduate at Siemens Mobility, so I know first-hand how important those early opportunities can be.”

She added: “With up to 70,000 workers potentially leaving Britain’s rail industry by 2030, investing in future talent has never been more important.”

Becky Worsey, assistant chief engineer at Siemens Mobility, said: “If children get the opportunity to meet an engineer, walk into a place like our new state-of-the-art Rail Technology Centre and understand that the science they are learning at school is being used to solve real problems, those careers suddenly become much easier to imagine.”

Steve Rafferty, headteacher at Monkton Park Primary School in Chippenham, said having a major engineering employer in the town makes opportunities feel “real and local” for pupils.

“Primary school is exactly the age when children start forming ideas about what they are good at and what they might want to do in the future,” he said. “They can see that the science they are learning today could one day lead to a skilled career just a few miles from where they are growing up.”

Schools interested in the work experience scheme can contact Siemens Mobility at info.mobility.gb@siemens.com