Great British Railways (GBR) has confirmed details of its apprenticeship scheme and its Derby headquarters. Up to six hundred young people aged between sixteen and twenty-one years old will be offered the...
Great British Railways (GBR) has confirmed details of its apprenticeship scheme and its Derby headquarters.
Up to six hundred young people aged between sixteen and twenty-one years old will be offered the opportunity to work and learn on the railway through the new ‘rail foundation’ apprenticeship programme.
Places will be made available over the next four years, with the first batch of apprentices being based in Derby.
The Department for Transport has also revealed the location of GBR’s headquarters. Derby was chosen from 42 different towns and cities which bid to be the base for the organisation that will take charge of Britain’s railways once passenger operations are back in public ownership.
However, it has taken until now for the decision to be made between two rival sites in the city.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has now revealed that it has chosen Becketwell over Midland House. The new HQ will be located on what is currently a brownfield site, and was preferred by the DfT over an existing building next to Derby Midland station.
Construction of the building will begin next year, and the DfT expects it to be completed by spring 2029.
Great British Railways’ base in Derby is expected to bring hundreds of jobs to the city, and its potential contribution to the area’s economy is reckoned to be £151 million.
This is fantastic news for Derby. Rail has been part of our region for generations and I’m delighted that Great British Railways will be based here, bringing hundreds of jobs into the city.
I’m particularly pleased about the 600 apprenticeship places. Young people should have the chance to learn new skills and build a career in an industry with such deep roots here, without feeling they have to move away to find those opportunities.
Derby has a proud place in Britain’s railway industry, and this announcement gives the next generation a chance to be part of its future. It’s an opportunity to bring more skilled jobs into the region and help young people take their first steps into work.
Yes, well. I never thought Midland House would be big enough, or plush enough, for GBR’s HQ. It brings back memories of them saying that the Railtrack HQ would just be a small office in London. One tower block plus at least 2 smaller blocks in the vicinity later….