THE country's first rail academy, providing training in railway and signalling engineering, will open its doors later this year.

The Yorkshire Rail Academy (YRA), in York, will be developed jointly by the National Railway Museum (NRM) and York College - making it the first of its kind in England.

Funded with £1.25m from Yorkshire Forward and the Learning and Skills Council, the YRA will become the prime education and training centre for the industry in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

The news comes just weeks after Newcastle engineering consultants Railway Performance, backed by development agency One NorthEast, announced proposals to set up a rail academy in the North-East.

The pioneering academy will be housed in a building adjacent to York's NRM, providing a key location for the project, and will incorporate the college's Centre of Vocational Excellence for Railway and Signalling Engineering.

It will provide training for rail employees and modern apprentices, as well as children and adults who use the NRM's education centre.

It will engage actively with all partners in the rail industry, and particularly employers, through being closely attuned to the developing needs of the industry.

York College has secured successful partnerships with rail companies including Jarvis, Network Rail, GNER and Virgin. Principal Mike Galloway said: "The YRA will play a key role in helping the rail industry upskill its workforce and increase the number of qualifications amongst its employees."

A Yorkshire Forward spokesman said: "This academy will offer so many opportunities, combining the expertise of the college and the museum, along with the support of the many partnerships.

"It will bring everybody together as a unique resource."

The YRA has further boosted York's reputation as a centre of the rail expertise, meaning the city will become a centre of excellence for training, education and research in the railways industry.

Andrew Scott, head of the NRM, said: "This new partnership with York College will enable us to have a proactive role in the future of the modern rail industry."