03.11.08
Apprentices on track for a great future
The Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Mavis Smitheman, visited Northern Rail’s Newton Heath Train Maintenance Depot recently to meet the first intake of new apprentices as they begin their training.
Andrew Lord (19) and Jordan Mearman (16), both from the local area, are two of five engineering apprentices to be taken on by Northern and the first to be taken on at Newton Heath Depot for over nine years.
The apprenticeship combines a programme of education with a work-based placement, providing them with the opportunity to gain vocational qualifications and valuable work experience at the same time.
Steve Gordon, Senior Technical Trainer at Newton Heath said: “The new apprentice scheme is great news for the future of the depot and to raise the profile of Northern as an employer and service provider”.
The Lord Mayor said: "The apprentice scheme at Newton Heath sends an important message to the community about investing and nurturing the talents of the city and I wish them both the very best in the future."
Northern Rail’s other depots, Neville Hill in Leeds and Heaton in Newcastle have also taken on engineering apprentices.
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