Alstom has welcomed 30 new apprentices to the UK business, three times as many as were brought in in 2019. 15 of these are carrying out degree apprenticeships. 7 are female.

The apprentices, joining at Levels 3, 4 and 6, will be joining across 10 different locations across the UK, in areas including engineering, supply chain, maintenance, design, Environment, Health and Safety (EHS), and HR.

Alstom has a long tradition of taking on apprentices into its rolling stock business, and this new intake demonstrates that, even in the context of economic hardship, Alstom continue to go from strength to strength, employing more young people and creating more jobs. This is partly the result of success in signalling, with Alstom being awarded a number of major contracts in the last year.

Last year, Alstom saw its first Level 3 Rail Engineering apprentices achieve End Point Assessment (EPA), and 14 more have done the same this year. The business decided to expand the programme and explore apprenticeships at a higher level, identifying talent gaps across the business and pinpointing where young people could be brought in to use their skills, passion and enthusiasm.

Another significant change for Alstom this year has been the move towards degree apprenticeships. Alstom’s signalling operators have taken on 15 new apprentices who will undertake the programme. Apprentices will work towards a degree in a range of areas: Manufactured Engineering; Supply Chain; Control Systems Support Engineer and; Chartered Manager.

Young people today have a particularly difficult decision to make when it comes to their futures, given the costs and subsequent debt of tuition fees paired with the uncertainty from COVID-19. The degree apprenticeship provides the opportunity for these students to work and study at the same time, without acquiring the same debt as a university education. By offering the degree apprenticeship, Alstom are able to harness the talent and nurture the development of these young people.

Alstom are fully committed to providing the best possible experience for all of their apprentices, to help them grow and develop into the next generation of people who will be making a significant contribution to the continued growth of the company and help shape the railways of the future.

Alison Knight, Head of Talent, Alstom UK & Ireland, said “We are thrilled to be welcoming 30 apprentices to Alstom in locations across the UK. As we look to recover following the impact of the pandemic, it is vital that we, and the manufacturing industry as a whole, look to boost the numbers of young engineers receiving a rounded experience so early in their career. Alstom are proud to be continuing with our planned recruitment against the background of COVID-19.”