The Strategic Transport Apprenticeship Taskforce (STAT) meets today for the first time. It is an employer-led group and, as well as helping to deliver the apprenticeship target, will work to attract people back to the industry by dispelling outdated stereotypes and highlighting the range of roles on offer.
Transport minister Lord Ahmad said: ““I have seen for myself the enthusiasm in young people for planes, trains and automobiles, and I am determined that the government’s record investment in transport helps transform childhood fascinations into lifelong careers.
“Transport these days is about computers in laboratories as much as cranes in landfill sites. That is why STAT will help inspire and enable people from all walks of life to choose transport, and ensure we have the diverse and skilled workforce we need to deliver our ambitious agenda.”
STAT is being chaired by Simon Kirby, chief executive of HS2 and himself a former apprentice with British Rail. “Being an apprentice was a great opportunity for me,” he says, adding that he used his apprenticeship “as a springboard” for his career.
“I am therefore delighted to be appointed as the chair of STAT, which will support the government’s ambition to treble the number of apprenticeships in the transport sector by 2020.
“Employers should see taking on an apprentice as an opportunity to develop skills within their business and this in turn can help young people to develop long and successful careers within their chosen sector.
“It is vital that we also inspire people from all different backgrounds to become an apprentice so that we can create a diverse workforce capable of delivering the unprecedented number of transport projects currently in the pipeline.”