Transport was one of a number of industry sectors given the go ahead last week  by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills  to develop Apprenticeship Standards under the Trailblazer scheme.  

Chaired by Keith Mitchell, chairman of Peter Brett Associates, two groups of employers will spend the next three months developing Apprenticeships Standards for Transport Planning Technician and Passenger Transport Services / Operations / Operations Manager.

This is the second Apprenticeship Trailblazer to benefit companies which are members of the Technician Apprenticeship Consortium.  

Supported by ACE companies represented on the Employer Working Group are Arup, Atkins, CH2MHill, Curtins, Hyder Consulting, Mott MacDonald, Odyssey Markides, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Peter Brett Associates and WSP.  

The Highways Agency, Leeds City Council, London Borough of Hackney, Leeds City Council and Transport for London are also members of the group thus ensuring that the Apprenticeship will meet the needs of both the private and public sector.  The group also has the strong support of the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation and the Transport Planning Society.

Skills Minister Nick Boles said : “I congratulate the Technician Apprenticeship Consortium for the key role it is playing in developing new top-quality apprenticeships.  Through the trailblazers initiative companies like those involved in the consortium and those from the public sector, in collaboration with their industry partners, will give people the skills they need to thrive and our businesses need to compete.”

Keith Mitchell chair of the Transport Apprenticeship Trailblazer Group said: “I am delighted that the Minister has recognised the importance of developing a well-qualified workforce to the transport industry be it passenger transport or those involved in the planning of our future transport infrastructure and systems.  As chair of the Transport Trailblazer I look forward to submitting the industry developed and approved Apprenticeship Standards to the Minister in the New Year.”

Dr Nelson Ogunshakin, OBE chief executive at ACE explained the rationale around its support of the Technician Apprenticeship Consortium:

“TAC is an example of a very successful industry-led initiative guiding over 700 young people into apprenticeship places in its first four years of operation.  It is clear to me that the optimism of ACE member companies, large and small, is tempered by a concern that they are finding it difficult and expensive to recruit and retain the highly skilled staff they need to deliver their projects.  With an ageing workforce and a potential shortage of graduates the situation is only going to get worse.  The sector as a whole urgently needs to find new ways to access and train the next generation of professional engineers”.