Fourfold increase in the number of rail industry apprentices graduating with Northern

Credit: Northern/David Harrison

Northern is on-course to deliver a fourfold increase in the number of apprentices graduating from its training academies in Leeds and Manchester. With almost 100 ‘passing out’ of the training scheme in the last 12 months and another 400 on-track to follow suit in 2023-24, Northern has more reason than most to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week.

They offer apprenticeships in roles across their business, including train crew (conductors and drivers), train presentation, engineering, and business administration. Among the next opportunities due to be advertised are 26 train driver apprenticeships based at depots including Darlington, Hull, Leeds, Sheffield and York.

Northern apprenticeship achievements

In 2022, Northern was officially recognised by OFSTED as a ‘Main Provider’ of apprenticeships, a status that enables them to offer their industry-leading training services to other train operators and rail industry organisations.

Northern has also recently become the latest patron of the Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance – an organisation that strives to promote social mobility, diversity, inclusion and equity in apprenticeships.

 “We’re very proud to be the leading provider of rail industry apprenticeships in the UK,” Tricia Williams, Chief Operating Officer at Northern, said. “Each and every one of the graduates from our academies has the potential to be an industry leader of the future – bringing their skills, talent and ideas to the table. This is such an exciting sector to be a part of and there’s no better grounding for a successful career in rail than an apprenticeship, which combines classroom learning with on-the-job experience.” 

National Apprenticeship Week runs from 6 – 12 February and is designed to celebrate everything that is amazing about apprenticeships. It is organised by Amazing Apprenticeships, a leading organisation in the education sector. Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.