Northern’s latest apprentice in-take has seen 16 individuals appointed, marking the future generation of rail engineers and engineering leaders.

The new engineering apprentices will work to support teams who carry out the maintenance, repair, modification and servicing of the rail operators fleet of 345 trains across five of its ‘TrainCare Centres’ in the following locations:

• Heaton in Newcastle
• Botanic Gardens in Hull
• Neville Hill in Leeds
• Newton Heath in Manchester
• Allerton in Liverpool

Elizabeth Fielding from Blackburn in Lancashire and Megan Van Bergen from Mossley Hill in Merseyside are part of Northern’s latest in-take and had both worked as cleaners onboard the rail operator’s trains prior to this.

Jack Commandeur, Engineering Director at Northern, said:

“A regular in-take of apprentices is important to help nurture the next generation of railway engineers and engineering leaders.”

“In these roles, the apprentices can develop their skills and experience in an environment that speaks to their passion for science and technology.”

“In Elizabeth and Megan’s case, it’s particularly nice to see young people choosing to stay and develop their career here at Northern and I would encourage anyone that has not previously considered a career in rail to give it a go.”

Northern was given ‘Main Provider’ for apprenticeships status by Ofsted in 2022, which allows the rail operator to provide its industry-leading training to other rail operators and across the rail industry. At present, over 450 people are taking part in Northern’s apprenticeship programme, covering an array of positions within the business.

Last month, saw the rail operator reveal a sneak peek of how its brand new, multi-million-pound train simulators might look which will become part of their training academies in Manchester and Leeds. The impressive simulators will support engineering apprentices and many others once they become operational, in 2025.

June 2023 also saw Northern’s engineering team awarded at the Railway Innovation Awards for its development of a fleet of ‘Intelligent Trains’. This exciting project will support train travel to become both safer and more efficient in the future.