Almost 3,000 apprenticeships have been created in key transport sectors in the past year, according to a new report.
The new report from the UK government, Transport Infrastructure Skills Strategy: Two Years On, revealed that 2,784 apprenticeships were created in road and rail in the past year, as transport minister Nusrat Ghani reaffirmed its commitment to creating 30,000 apprenticeships in road and rail bodies and increasing diversity of the transport workforce.
The report showed that more than 5,000 apprentices have begun training in the road and rail sectors since 2016.
Going forward, an additional 8,000 opportunities will be created every year in the express delivery sector, training places for maritime cadets will rise to 1,200 over the next seven years, and 10,000 apprenticeships will be created as a result of an expanded Heathrow airport before 2030.
Ghani, who has also served as chair of the prime minister’s Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network, said: “This report shows that significant government investment in transport is playing a key role in creating life-changing opportunities through its high quality apprenticeships—helping us lead the way in unlocking new jobs and ensuring this country has the skilled workforce it needs for the future.”
“Although we are seeing evidence of better BAME representation in the sector, our ambitions are clear. From road to rail, maritime to aviation, we must all redouble our efforts to bring more women into technical and engineering roles, remove barriers, ensuring we bring talented people from all backgrounds together to tackle the skills gap.”
“We are committed to strengthening links between employers in our sector and young people, particularly in the creative, innovative world of engineering through our Year of Engineering campaign. I look forward to even more apprentices starting brilliant careers in years to come.”
