05.11.14
TfL invests £1m in LU’s Skills and Training Centre
Transport for London (TfL) has invested £1m in London Underground’s (LU’s) Skills and Training Centre in Acton, as part of a long-term commitment to supporting future generations of transport workers.
The training centre, home to LU’s engineering apprentices, has been modernised with new equipment and first class facilities to help ensure they have the skills needed to support the capital’s transport network. Apprentices at the Centre are in roles including signalling, rolling stock and track engineering.
In September this year, TfL welcomed 86 new apprentices in a variety of roles ranging from project planning to highway technicians. It has also created over 100 new apprenticeship roles for 2015. The apprenticeship roles will be available for applications on the TfL website from February next year.
Mike Brown MVO (pictured below), managing director of LU and London Rail, said: “All our apprentices are helping us to support over 30 million journeys every day as we continue to invest billions of pounds in our transport network to meet the needs of London’s growing population to support jobs, homes and economic growth.
“The infrastructure that apprentices use during their training is vital if they are to be equipped with the necessary skills to do the job.”
Since April 2009, TfL and its suppliers have created over 5,000 apprenticeship roles, supporting the mayor of London’s campaign to create 250,000 apprenticeship roles by 2016.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “As our city grows, the need for top-notch transport and infrastructure grows with it. That is why getting our young people equipped with the skills to keep London moving is of paramount importance.”
For the last seven years, TfL has been recognised by the National Apprenticeship Service as one of the top 100 Apprenticeship Employers and offers a variety of training at three main training sites in West Kensington, Acton and Stratford to strengthen their skills.
At the 2014 UK Rail Industry Awards (UKRIA), London Underground’s Apprenticeship Development team also received the Apprenticeship Development Scheme Award.
Katharine Palmer, an Advanced Civil Engineering apprentice at TfL, said: “I've always been interested in maths, physics and architecture which led me to the TfL apprentice scheme, which is widely recognised as one of the best in the field.
“I've learned a lot and look forward to joining TfL as a certified engineer. I'm also delighted by the fact that talented women are now seeing engineering as an exciting and rewarding industry.”
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