06.06.16
TfL seeks new partner for Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy
An academy initially opened to meet Crossrail’s skills training needs is now seeking a new partner to carry out its legacy.
The new provider at the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA) will continue to provide tunnelling and underground construction training, but is also expected to maximise the use of its facilities by providing training programmes, including apprenticeships, for the wider construction and transport sector.
The successful bidder will be appointed by October 2016 and the contract will start from 7 January 2017 and run for four years, with the opportunity of a one-year extension.
Danny Fox, deputy director for Crossrail operations at Transport for London (TfL), said: “We are immensely proud of the state-of-the-art tunnelling and construction facilities at TUCA and of the legacy that the Crossrail construction project is creating.
“TUCA will continue to play a leading role in supporting the next generation of UK tunnelling, construction and transport projects.”
The £13m TUCA opened at Ilford in East London in 2011. Speaking at the site in 2013, transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin urged the UK transport industry to develop a ‘legacy of skilled transport workers’.
John Evans, CEO of the soon to open National College for High Speed Rail, warned recently that the UK urgently needs more skilled rail workers, with 87,000 engineers needed every year but only 51,000 currently graduating.
Submissions for the bid must be made by 27 June. To register, click here.
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