Train building apprentices and graduates are to start at Newton Aycliffe next week as part of a national training programme. Hitachi Rail’s new apprentice and graduate programmes will see the company double their number of trainees to over 100 across the UK. Newton Aycliffe will employ four apprentices and two graduates every year to work on train manufacturing projects following the success of the current scheme at the site which include technical and manufacturing apprentices. The new apprentices will attend Middlesbrough College as they start to study for their Level 3 in a Mechanical or Electrical BTEC qualification. New trainees to work on pioneering new trains The 100 trainees to work on Hitachi’s new trains include both apprentices and graduate engineers. Hitachi Rail has begun to recruit 46 new apprentices over the next two years to work at their manufacturing and maintenance sites. The new national apprenticeship programme follows the success of 54 train manufacturing apprentices currently at Newton Aycliffe. Apprentices at the manufacturing facility in the North East will join a 1000 strong workforce building intercity and commuter trains. Apprentices will also be employed at train maintenance depots across the UK. Hitachi has recently invested over £250million in building a new network of depots as part of delivering the Government’s Intercity Express Programme. Apprentices will learn how to inspect and ready trains for passenger service using the latest industry technology. The level 3 apprenticeships will last up to three years.
A new intake of 10 graduates will also join Hitachi Rail’s trainee programme. Graduate engineers will rotate around sites in the UK, including Newton Aycliffe. They will work with colleagues in Japan on train designs as well as bringing engineering expertise to depots. Building a new generation of rail workers The trainee programmes are part of Hitachi’s wider plans to create a new generation of rail workers. Hitachi aims to have at least 5% of its workforce in an entry level training scheme, such as an apprenticeship or graduate programme. The company has already co-founded a new university technical college in the North East, UTC South Durham, which opened last year. Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe site, based in the same business park as the college, works closely with the students on engineering projects. Hitachi Rail in the UK will soon employ over 2,000 people across 15 locations. To ensure the delivery of current and future rail projects, Hitachi is building a long-term workforce with a rich array of engineering and manufacturing skills. Ross Nagle, Chief Operating Officer for manufacturing at Hitachi Rail said: “Our new trainees will have the exciting opportunity to build pioneering trains as part of a successful team. All new starters at Newton Aycliffe will be embedded into our culture of excellence; ensuring passengers receive the very highest quality of train. “The apprentices we took on last year are busy building trains which will run the length and breadth of the country. These young people are dedicated and passionate about their work, and watching their career progression has been very satisfying.
We now look forward to our new trainees following in their footsteps” Skills Minister John Hayes MP said: “Having championed vocational skills and apprenticeships as both a Minister and MP, I am delighted Hitachi Rail has launched a new national apprentice and graduate programme. Investing in skills will help Hitachi and those they train to prosper. For all of us, creating a high skilled workforce is vital to building productive capacity and so help build Britain’s future. “The work my department is now doing to map the needs of the transport sector shows our country needs 35,000 apprenticeship starters in roads and rail projects to 2022 and we are on track to meet that need.”
