A dozen apprentices have embarked on a three year journey to become rail technicians destined for Siemens Mobility’ emerging Goole train factory.
The first cohort have been welcomed in at Selby College, where they will spend their first year, as the £200 million facility is built out just 10 miles away.
They are the first of the anticipated 700 employees who will build new Transport for London rolling stock when the facility opens in 2023.
Sambit Banerjee, managing director of Siemens Mobility Ltd, said: “The onboarding of our first apprentices at Selby College represents another major milestone for our Goole facility and our plans to create and develop local jobs. With an outstanding track record of delivering apprenticeships and excellent facilities, Selby College is a brilliant place for these ambitious people to train and grow their skillset in engineering.
“The government has a clear commitment to ‘levelling up' and rebuilding the nation’s economy following Covid-19 and employing and training local people is key to this. As supporters of this ambition, we are committed to upskilling the next generation of engineering talent, so they can play a key role in delivering important 海角视频 infrastructure projects, like TfL’s new underground trains.”
The 12 are undertaking a Level three Rail Technician Apprenticeship programme, initially developing core engineering knowledge and competencies. In their second year, they will spend one day a week at college and four days a week on placement at Siemens Mobility traincare facilities, building up their practical skills and experience.
Their third year will be split between working full-time at the Goole facility and a six-month placement at the company’s rolling stock factory in Vienna, Austria. This will enable expert knowledge transfer from colleagues in a well-established, global manufacturing operation.
The 12 apprentices were selected from more than 200 applications, with the majority of applicants from East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
Most Read
They join Selby College two months after construction work began in Goole, following a visit from Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
For 18-year-old Milly Johnson, the game-changing investment in her home town has seen her swap cars for trains. She had begun a mechanic apprenticeship at a Goole garage but it came to an end when the business ceased trading. Aware of the imminent arrival, her perseverance at looking for opportunities with Siemens Mobility has paid off, and she even got to meet the PM.
“This is brilliant for Goole because Siemens Mobility is such a big company and there isn’t anything like it in this area,” she said. “It will create a lot of new jobs, bring more people into the town and encourage people to relocate to the area. It was interesting to meet Boris Johnson and it was good that he visited.”
Kate Rodley knew she wanted to work for Siemens aged just 14. Four years ago, she took part in an electric kit car race, organised by the Greenpower Education Trust and supported by the engineering giant, while she was a Year 10 student at Beverley High School.
Now, after gaining distinctions at Ron Dearing University Technical College (UTC) in Hull, she has been selected.
“During the Greenpower electric car project at the KCom Stadium in Hull we worked closely with Siemens and I’ve wanted to join them ever since,” she said. “I’m so excited to start my career and looking forward to entering an adult environment, being practical and independent, while learning with the other apprentices.
“The apprenticeship offers travel opportunities too, which is also exciting.”
Don’t miss
London’s Piccadilly line will be the first to benefit from the manufacturing, with plans to add Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo and City line orders, plus mainline suburban and intercity trains - with HS2 bids in.
The plant will be complemented by research and development, digital innovation and supplier facilities, together forming a unique “rail village”.
Phil Sayles, principal and chief executive of Selby College, said: “We were delighted to welcome Siemens Mobility’s first 12 apprentices. This is a fantastic opportunity for them to be a part of an incredibly exciting project and develop the engineering skills which are so vital to the 海角视频’s future.
“Our significant engineering facilities and partnerships with industry mean that we offer unparalleled training opportunities for apprentices in the sector, and we hope our new joiners gain maximum experience and knowledge from the programme during their time with us.”