By 2019, Crossrail will be fully open and Londoners will be benefitting from one the most ambitious infrastructure projects undertaken in the UK.

From the outset we identified that there was a shortage of talent in the labour market. We wanted to do something to re-energise the skills base within tunnelling and underground construction, but in rail engineering and infrastructure generally.

The Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA) established by Crossrail in 2011 has been a huge success. This has supported employers looking for workers by providing pre-employment training, tunnel safety training, apprenticeships and advice to those seeking work.

"With one in seven young people unemployed in the UK and only around 15% of employers employing apprentices, there is significant opportunity for other sectors."

Approximately 7,000 people have received some form of training at TUCA.

New tunnelling specific apprenticeships have been developed by Crossrail specifically for the project while existing apprenticeships include business administration, procurement and accounting. Apprentices receive both training in a college environment and hands on in the workplace, and are employed by Crossrail, or one of the programme’s partners and contractors.

In partnership with principal contractors we have delivered the most significant injection of new skills into UK tunnelling and underground construction in a generation.

Our recruitment approach is helping provide a new direction for the sector and could be replicated across other sectors of the economy to help address the large number of young people not in employment. 

Around two in five Crossrail apprenticeships have been filled by people that were not in work, almost double the UK wide average. 

We are targeting unemployed people, providing pre-employment training and making sure that jobs are advertised externally through the National Apprenticeship Service and other routes rather than relying on word of mouth.

With one in seven young people unemployed in the UK and only around 15% of employers employing apprentices, there is significant opportunity for other sectors.

Engineering offers a huge range of career opportunities. The demand for engineering roles is increasing. Following Crossrail there will be Thames Tideway, the Northern line extension to Battersea, HS2 and Crossrail 2 which will all require a skilled workforce as will the next generation of nuclear power stations.