UK: Local Member of Parliament Dame Margaret Beckett opened Alstom’s £250 000 National Training Centre at its Litchurch Lane factory in Derby on February 7.
The company plans to take on 120 apprentices and graduates in the UK this year, with all spending time at the academy before joining one of its 30 UK locations.
The academy has 17 permanent teaching staff and 1 600 m2 of practical learning space, with four classrooms, a canteen, coffee area and break out study areas. A training hall contains an Aventra multiple-unit car and cab where apprentices can gain practical experience before joining a live manufacturing team.
Alstom works closely with Derby College as well as Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield universities, and offers several levels of apprenticeships: Level 3 is the equivalent of an A Level, Level 6 is a degree-level qualification supported by local universities and Level 7 offers a postgraduate level qualification.
‘Alstom has always believed in developing talent through formalised training, as we see apprentices are the future of our industry both here in Britain and around the world’, said Nick Crossfield, Managing Director of Alstom UK & Ireland. ‘National Apprenticeship Week is the perfect time for us to open our academy as we wanted to express our confidence in the future of the UK apprenticeships and the UK rail industry.’
Applications for Alstom’s next Level 3 apprenticeships are open until March 31.
