In Memory of Keith Jessop

With a heavy heart, we are sharing with you that Keith Jessop, the founder of Intertrain, has sadly passed away.

Keith worked in the rail industry for over 52 years, starting in 1968 as a Junior Technical Officer in the Eastern Region Chief Civil Engineering Drawing Office. He then went on to work in the Divisional Civil Engineer in York, Chief Civil Engineer in Euston, Divisional Civil Engineer Leeds, Chief Civil Engineer York Survey Section and as Central Training Manager Eastern Region.

In 1997, Keith decided that he wanted to pass on some of the knowledge he has gained over the years to others and so he set up on his own, a training company called Intertrain. Keith grew the business to such an extent that he became the Managing Director of Intertrain UK Ltd which is the largest provider of Track Safety training in the United Kingdom. From this, Keith wanted to help those who were trying to get into the industry by starting to train Apprentices, and over the years has provided the industry with over 500 highly trained Apprentices as well as helping 280 people complete Traineeships. It’s this philosophy that makes Keith’s achievements worth recognising and his philosophy that everyone has a corporate social responsibility to assist those in the community who require extra support in order for them to make a positive contribution to the wider society – that really set him apart from the rest.

One area where Keith’s influence and philosophy could be seen was supporting the Prince’s Trust as well as the Offender Rehabilitation programme. Keith championed taking on Offenders who were coming to the end of their sentence and gave them a place to work to develop their skills / training as well as assisting them in finding work once they had completed their term in prison. Providing such help and support to Offenders is something that not a lot of people would have engaged in, but Keith truly believed that he was in a position to make a difference and that by providing the right support, individuals who wanted to work hard and make positive life choices had a future on the railway.

Keith’s achievements did not go unrecognised, as in 2015, Keith won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Rail Staff Awards. This was a very proud moment for Intertrain as we all knew Keith as the “Cool Leader” who always went the extra mile to help. Keith was delighted to have won this award and commented that it was a great surprise – although we all knew that it was truly well deserved.

When Intertrain was acquired by the City & Guilds Group in 2019, Keith was overjoyed as he knew that his mission to help individuals achieve success, gain skills for employment and kick start their careers would be continued. He truly felt that the ethos, way of working, beliefs, and values he had previously set would be reflected in the business through City & Guilds.

Overall, Keith served the railway industry for a long time and through his own individual endeavours as well as by selflessly ‘putting something back’ to the industry, he created something that has provided so many learning opportunities to individuals that ordinarily would have struggled to get on the employment ladder. He has supported so many people from lowly beginnings who when given the proper advice and guidance have progressed to achieving personal success and a career on the railway. Keith was not only a boss, but more importantly an incredible friend to all.

It is with great sadness that he leaves behind his incredible wife Zita, his loving children, and doting grandchildren.

We would like to continue his legacy and commitment to help others by creating a JustGiving page to make donations to the City & Guilds Foundation, part of the City & Guilds Group charity. The charity runs programmes that act as a catalyst to make a difference to people, organisations and society through reinvesting surplus and resources.

The purpose of the Foundation is to bring together people from all walks of life who are passionate about breaking down barriers to developing skills that help them into a job, develop on that job and to prepare for their next job. These unique opportunities allow individuals, no matter where they come from or who they are, the chance to change their lives, something Keith was so very passionate about.

If anyone would like to donate to the City & Guilds Foundation, please click the link below:

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/changing-lives-in-memory-of-keith-jessop?utm_term=QqPbEXdP6

Keith, you will be sadly missed by all of us.

Rest in peace, Cool Leader.