New national apprenticeship and graduate engineering programmes launched
Hitachi Rail, one of the largest builder and maintainer of trains in the UK, has launched a new national apprentice and graduate programme.
The company already employs 54 apprentices to build trains at its manufacturing site at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. The new intake will see 56 trainees, graduates and apprentices, join over the next two years at sites across the UK, including newly built depots.
By 2020, Hitachi Rail will have 281 trains running on some of the UK’s busiest intercity and commuter routes. The first new trains are due on the Great Western main line from this autumn as part of the government-led £5.7bn Intercity Express Programme, followed by new trains for the East Coast main line from 2018.
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 has begun to recruit 46 new apprentices to work at its manufacturing and maintenance sites. The first wave of 16 new starters begins their apprenticeships today.
The new national apprenticeship programme follows the successful recruitment of 54 train manufacturing apprentices currently at Newton Aycliffe. A new wave of apprentices at the manufacturing facility in the North East will join a 1,000 strong workforce building intercity and commuter trains.
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