Go-Ahead

As one of the largest operators of public transport in the UK, Go-Ahead know first-hand the vital role apprenticeships play in raising the skills of our people

Go-Ahead take on over 1,000 apprentices every year to train as bus drivers, train drivers and engineers at intermediate, advanced, higher and degree level.

Our apprentices are exceptionally diverse. They range in age from 16-64, with 30% over the age of 50. Some are straight from school, while others are changing careers. People from all walks of life join us, from a former airline pilot, a bank manager, a care home worker, to a professional footballer.

Go-Ahead has been named fifth top apprenticeship employer in the UK, securing our top position in the UK transport industry.

From the World Cup to driving a London bus

If you catch the 185 bus in Southeast London, you might well find a football star behind the wheel. Rachael Ayegba, apprentice driver at Camberwell Garage, was drawn to the bus industry and Go-Ahead London after a 14-year career as an international goalkeeper.

Rachael represented Nigeria in the 2007 Women’s World Cup, and at the Olympic Games in Beijing the following year. At club level, she won Finland’s equivalent of the Premier League with football club PK-35 Vantaa.

When Rachael moved to the UK in 2018, she quickly realised how important buses are to London and looked to the industry for a career change.

“In all the different places I’ve been, I’d never seen this kind of bus. It’s a double decker, it’s red—it’s as unique to London as a black cab,” she says. Go-Ahead London’s smart uniform really stood out for her, and she signed up as an apprentice.

Bus driving is just as much of a challenge as playing in goal, says Rachael.

“When you are trying to save the ball, you need safe hands. But there are ten others on your side,” she said. “When you drive a bus, you are on your own.

“Mentally you have to be 100% ready, if you are a goalkeeper the defenders can help you. You can’t make any mistakes driving a bus.”

Racheal is well on her way to becoming fully qualified as a bus driver. “Everyone at Go-Ahead London has been really helpful and very welcoming. The apprenticeship team have been incredibly supportive from the first day.”

To find out more about Go-Ahead apprenticeships, or to sign up, visit go-ahead.com/apprenticeships