Hitachi Rail Europe is proud to invest in the futures of young people. As an organisation, Hitachi Rail Europe believes apprenticeships play a vital role in the creation and promotion of an inspired and committed workforce. Accordingly, the company is delighted to welcome a new intake of apprentices across its UK sites each year.
The Ashford Train Maintenance Centre in Kent, which has a reputation for excellence and has been open since 2007, is a flagship provider of apprenticeships across Hitachi Rail Europe’s UK operations. Home of the iconic Class 395 or ‘Javelin‘ trains, it runs its own home-grown apprenticeship scheme, taking on two apprentices each year.
This four-year apprenticeship scheme allows its participants to combine a theoretical understanding of how maintenance engineering works with the opportunity to apply these skills in a ‘hands-on’ environment. Apprentices divide their time between Canterbury College and the Ashford site. Former apprentices are now working on the Intercity Express Programme, as the lead technician at Ashford and as technicians and maintenance engineers.
The state-of-the-art Hitachi Rail Europe Vehicle Manufacturing Facility (RVMF) in County Durham allows those looking for an alternative to more traditional routes into higher education the option to study engineering at South West Durham Training while honing their practical skills onsite.
Hitachi Rail Europe hopes to expand its support for a variety of routes into engineering with its sponsorship of the South Durham University Technical College in 2016. Hitachi Rail Europe will work closely with the University of Sunderland and Gestamp Tallent to encourage young people to study the STEM subjects and understand the practical application of these subjects in the working world.
Julia Potts, HR Manager at Hitachi Rail Europe says, “We are constantly on the look-out for the engineers of tomorrow and are delighted to actively encourage those young people who may not have considered engineering as an option the chance to explore whether this is the correct path for them.”
The RVMF currently supports four apprentices in engineering, and looks forward to taking on a further five apprentices in the autumn. Across the wider business, there will also be apprenticeships available in other functions.
Hitachi Rail Europe is pleased to be able to offer its apprentices further opportunities for development across the business once they have finished their apprenticeships, with a number of former apprentices now in permanent, full-time roles across a range of disciplines.
Hitachi Rail Europe would encourage anyone that is interested in pursuing an apprenticeship to apply via our careers portal at the following web address: http://www.hitachirail-eu.com/careers
