Yesterday, Tuesday 8th February, Alstom opened its new Apprentice Training Academy in Derby to coincide with National Apprenticeship Week 2023, which is being held from Monday, 6th to Sunday, 12th February.

Over the last two years, Alstom, which is a global leader in smart and sustainable mobility and in January was awarded Top Global Employer Certification, has invested £250,000 in the new Training Academy. It was officially opened by Derby MP, Dame Margaret Beckett DBE PC MP, accompanied by Nick Crossfield, Managing Director of Alstom UK & Ireland.

This year’s theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2023 is ‘Skills for Life’. Alstom is committed to helping its apprentices to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career in the rail industry and help to develop a talented workforce that is equipped with skills for the future. 120 new apprentices and graduates will join Alstom this year.

On opening the Training Academy, Dame Margaret said, “It’s a real pleasure to open Alstom’s new National Training Centre during National Apprenticeship Week. I am delighted to see Alstom continuing to invest in Derby’s young people, and in the Litchurch Lane facility, the only factory in Britain with the capability to design, build and test new trains for the UK and for export.”

The new Training Academy has 17 permanent teaching staff and increases the professionalisation of Alstom’s training in the UK. The Academy provides 1,600 square metres of practical learning space with four classrooms, a canteen, coffee area, and break-out study areas where new trainees are inducted. It also has a training hall that contains a carriage and cab from the AVENTRA programme.

All apprentices and graduates now start their training with Alstom at the Training Academy. In their first week, new trainees are taught the company’s values as a leader in smart and sustainable mobility, including Alstom’s Zero Deviation Plan, the Alstom Production System, ethics and diversity standards, quality awareness, and personal safety.

Nick Crossfield, Managing Director of Alstom UK & Ireland, commented: “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,

“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.”