Transport for Wales has committed to ‘earn and learn’, developing staff by getting on board with The 5% Club which is an industry-led drive to recruit apprentices, graduates and sponsored students.

The initiative currently has over 700 employers taking part in ‘earn and learn’ opportunities which develop the skills required in becoming more employable and create ongoing careers.

Employers who have taken part in The 5% Club committed to increasing the number of apprentices and sponsored students as well as graduates to formal programmes for 5% of the workforce over. a period of 5 years.

Transport for Wales has seen 122 new apprentices join them in the areas of engineering, operational and head office positions. Further to this, they have started mentoring and development schemes which offer new recruits vocational skills as well as guidance.

Katie Harris, Strategic Organisational Lead – Early Talent at TfW said: “At TfW we’re fully aligned with helping the Welsh Government create its target of 125,000 new apprenticeship opportunities by 2026.

“We understand the importance of providing opportunities for not only young people but for those who may wish for a career change and we’re excited to be committing to and joining The 5% Club.

“There are many benefits from having a diverse range of apprentices within TfW, such as boosting productivity, filling skills gaps and cost-effective training. We look forward to continue developing in this space and I’d encourage those seeking a new apprenticeship to check our website for future opportunities.”

Gill Cronin, Director of Operations of The 5% Club added: “We’re delighted to welcome Transport for Wales as a member. The 5% Club provides a fantastic network of HR professionals, sharing and learning from each other. All our members share an ethos of creating a skilled workforce through ‘earn and learn’ development programmes, helping people develop meaningful career paths.”