CEOs and Board level executives including those from National Grid, Dairy Crest, GE, 3M, Enterprise, Merseytravel, AMEC, BAE systems and Skanska, today took a tour of Tube Lines’ state of the art training centre in Stratford to learn more about the benefits of hiring and training young people. The visit was organised by Business in the Community on behalf of HRH The Prince of Wales as part of their Seeing is Believing programme.

Tube Lines Acting CEO, Andrew Cleaves, said that is was vital that businesses did all that it can to keep training young people in their industries, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) related professions.

“The recent recession has certainly made things difficult for young people to get ahead, so the onus must be on businesses like ours to ensure their skills and talents aren’t lost.

“From the outset, we’ve worked hard to establish a route for young people to launch their careers in engineering where they can access the very best training and practical on-the-job experience.  It simply makes good sense to do so – having bright new talent is good for our business whatever the economic climate.” he said.

Launched in 1990, The Prince’s Seeing is Believing is a programme for engaging the UK’s top business leaders with key social responsibility issues.  Today’s visit focused on mobilising business to develop skills in the workplace, to equip communities and schools to prepare young people and excluded groups for future jobs. It highlighted the need for STEM related jobs in the low carbon economy. Delegates went on a journey to learn about the advances made on this agenda, what more needs to be done and how business can make a difference. Delegates experienced first-hand the following projects:

• The School Power project at Millfields Community School, London, Hackney, a scheme developed by National Grid for its employees to go into primary schools with a programme of activities to inspire and motivate children in learning about science and technology.

• The “Women into Construction” programme, a project developed by the Olympic Delivery Authority which seeks to increase the number of women working on the Olympic Park and to challenge existing perceptions about women who work in construction.

• The Tube Lines Advanced Apprenticeship programme, an award-winning nationally recognized scheme which has been run by Tube Lines since 2002. The programme not only offers quality training and qualifications in engineering related jobs, it also enables Tube Lines to source the relevant talent and skills it needs to operate.

There delegates got to meet with apprentices and learn from senior managers about Tube Lines’ advanced apprenticeship programme. Most of this four-year training programme is undertaken at the purpose-built Skills Training centre in Stratford which brings together all of Tube Lines’ training, skills and competency programmes.  Opened in 2005, the centre offers many entry level and advanced courses ranging from basic safety training to IT induction and advanced railway engineering.  It has also five sections of track, each fitted with signalling equipment, as well as a purpose built simulator signal control room.

Tube Lines currently has 61 apprentices in training and 83% of all apprentices have gone into full time employment.  On top of being one of the largest private sector employers of apprentices in London, more than 2,500 NVQs have also been awarded to employees in the past seven years.  It is this commitment to training that saw Tube Lines named 2009 ‘Large Employer of the Year’ by the National Apprenticeship Service. Also, it is worth noting that a number of our apprentices are involved in Tube Lines’ Science Technology, Engineering and Math STEM ambassador scheme, and help raise awareness of engineering as a career path and the variety of jobs available in the field in local schools.

Steve Holliday, Group Chief Executive of National Grid said:

“Engineers and scientists will be the people who solve the big challenges facing us all like energy sustainability and climate change.  It’s up to us now to inspire the next generation to take up these crucial challenges and this is why this Seeing is Believing visit is so important.”