Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group has announced the award of an exclusive three-year recruitment partnership with Wabtec UK, supporting its new Barton-under-Needwood facility following a competitive tender process. Wabtec UK is a global leader in rail technology and engineering, providing manufacturing, maintenance, and overhaul services across rail sub-systems and components.
The agreement will see Ford & Stanley responsible for the provision of permanent and contract recruitment services at Wabtec’s Staffordshire facility, spanning shop floor to senior leadership across all business disciplines over the next three years.
The partnership supports Wabtec’s significant investment in a new facility in Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire, which is set to create in excess of 150 new jobs across Engineering & Technical, Operations & Manufacturing, Commercial & Business Support, and Leadership roles.
Nick Sinclair, UK Head of Operations and Site Leader at Wabtec UK said: “We made a deliberate decision to move away from multiple recruitment suppliers and appoint a single strategic partner who could underpin our ambitions to build a UK centre of excellence for rail equipment, systems and digital solutions. Securing the right talent for our flagship site is essential to delivering on our UK growth ambitions, and that means having a recruitment partner who truly understands our sector and acts as an extension of our own organisation.
“Ford & Stanley demonstrated the strongest combination of rail sector expertise, delivery capability, and innovative thinking throughout the tender process. They are able to offer us a genuine end-to-end solution – one partner, one relationship, covering every level of our organisation with values that align well to our own – and that is exactly what we were looking for.”
Daniel Taylor, Director at Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group said: “Being awarded as recruitment partner to Wabtec UK, following a competitive tender against some of the industry’s finest, is a testament to our people and the strength of our delivery capability, sector expertise, and the trust we build with our clients.
“This partnership represents a significant milestone for our business, reinforcing our position within the UK rail and transportation sector while creating a platform to deliver both future talent pipelines and immediate high-quality talent solutions that support Wabtec’s continued growth and innovation.”
The partnership comes at a period of significant investment and momentum across the UK rail sector, with sustainability, digitalisation, and infrastructure growth driving demand for skilled professionals at every level. Organisations such as Wabtec – which operates at the intersection of advanced engineering and rail technology – face a highly competitive talent market, making the quality and specialist knowledge of a recruitment partner a genuine strategic advantage.
As the rail sector continues to evolve driven by sustainability, digitalisation, and infrastructure investment this partnership positions both organisations to play a key role in shaping the future of rail talent in the UK.
For more information visit: www.fordandstanley.com.
