Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane Works to announce new technical education routes and underline the role of rail manufacturing in supporting UK skills, jobs and economic growth.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has visited Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane Works to launch new technical education routes, placing Britain’s historic train manufacturing facility at the centre of the government’s plans to strengthen engineering skills and support industrial growth.
During his second week in office, Burnham toured Alstom’s National Training Academy, where he met around 100 apprentices and graduates from the company and its supply chain. The visit highlighted the importance of technical education in developing the next generation of engineers, technicians and manufacturing specialists for the UK rail industry.
Rail can be a core driver of reindustrialising Britain.”
Alstom’s Derby site, which has been building trains for 150 years, remains the UK’s only facility capable of designing, engineering, manufacturing and testing trains for the national railway network. The company currently supports 120 apprentices and graduates through its National Training Academy.
Derby factory showcases UK rail skills
During the visit, Burnham met apprentices including Process Engineer Chloe Turnbull, who joined Alstom after changing careers from pharmacy, and Product Cost Engineer Yasha Sidiqui, winner of the Graduate of the Year award at the 2025 RailStaff Awards.
Chloe said: “It was such a privilege speaking with the Prime Minister. He was interested in everything he saw and wished everyone the very best in their careers.”
Yasha added: “I am only a few years into my career, but it has already been so rewarding. Rail can be overlooked as a career choice; my hope is that the Prime Minister’s support for rail helps change that.”
Rob Whyte, Managing Director UK at Alstom, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet to Derby Litchurch Lane Works to meet apprentices and graduates and showcase the future of UK train building, based in the city that will be home to Great British Railways.”
Alstom also used the visit to demonstrate its wider economic contribution across Britain. The company directly employs almost 4,900 people across 36 UK sites and spent more than £720 million with nearly 1,300 British suppliers over the past year, supporting almost 11,000 supply chain jobs. Around one third of this expenditure was with UK-based small and medium-sized enterprises.
Whyte added that rail procurement can play a central role in reindustrialising Britain, highlighting Alstom’s continued investment in UK manufacturing, including its £35 million investment in the Adessia train platform, which has been designed and engineered in Derby to support the future ambitions of Great British Railways.
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