Nexus’ 2023 cohort of apprentices are now settling into their training programmes and not ones to rest of their laurels Nexus have now started recruitment for next year’s intake. Nine people started their training in September, in a variety of roles including power supplies, civil engineering, data science, business administration, HR and project management.
Whilst some of the nine will be learning the skills needed to looks after the 77km railway infrastructure others will be working within key business units behind the scenes in Nexus – covering not only the Metro but also the Shields Ferry, secured bus routes and transport interchanges across the region.
One of the new apprentices is Lawrence Robinson who is working with the power supplies team where he will gain a working knowledge of the overhead line systems: “It’s been great so far, the people in the team are so experienced and very happy to help us with our learning. It’s definitely the kind of thing you can’t learn in a classroom, with the hands-on work and getting used to the shifts, but I’m really enjoying it.”
Head of Learning at Nexus, Heather Bievins, said: “Apprenticeships are vital for the long-term future of the Nexus. They are an ideal route both for us and the apprentice. Apprentices get first class training, opening the door to a brilliant career in the public transport industry, learning bespoke skills with a good chance of getting a permanent job at the end of the apprenticeship. We gain skilled and engaged employees who see real career development.
“Historically our apprenticeships were always in practical roles in infrastructure, like signalling, track or overhead lines. While we still do recruit apprentices into those areas, we have also broadened the reach and welcomed apprentices in many other areas too. It’s vital that we invest in training and development across the whole organisation, to ensure that we can continue to deliver the essential services to our customers for many more years to come.”
Training of the next cohort of apprentices will start in September 2024 with a range of roles available including engineering, transport planning, data analytics, marketing and administration.
- Details about the apprenticeship vacancies is at https://www.nexus.org.uk/apprenticeships