New wave of apprentices begin rail careers

Friday 03rd November 2017

A group of seven new apprentices have joined train company, TransPennine Express (TPE).

The individuals, who come from locations across the North of England have now embarked on the two year programme allowing them to earn a salary while learning and gain new skills.

Based in either Manchester, Huddersfield or Hull, the apprentices will enter disciplines including finance, operations, customer experience, project management and administration.

Each will obtain nationally-recognised professional qualifications while also working toward a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.

Their details are:

Name	Age	Area	From	Based
Aaron Mitchell	16	Customer Experience	Shaw	Manchester
Alex Bradley	16	Project Management	Bolton	Manchester
Calvin Smith	17	Customer Experience	Hull	Hull Paragon
Dominic Ellis	18	Operations	Newcastle (now living in Warrington)	Manchester
Jenna Longshaw	18	Finance	Prestwich	Manchester
Sohaul Sacha	19	Customer Experience	Dewsbury	Huddersfield station
Summer Donnelly	18	Administration	Irlam	Manchester

Some of the group provided feedback about why they wanted to join the TPE apprenticeship scheme:

Summer commented: “The apprenticeship scheme at TransPennine Express sounded promising with good opportunities which could provide a great career and benefits.”

Aaron said: “Being an apprentice has already given me the chance to try new things and learn new skills in a totally different environment than I’m used to.”

Dominic said: “I wanted to be an apprentice with TransPennine Express because as a business, they are currently going through an exciting period of change.”

Jenna commented: “I wanted an apprenticeship with TransPennine Express because it offers valuable opportunities and great benefits like being able to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh award all in a friendly working environment.”

Sue Whaley, HR Director for TransPennine Express said: “Each of our new apprentices comes from the local communities we serve and I’m thrilled to welcome them to our team.

I’m excited to see how their skills and knowledge develop over time and how they progress in their rail careers.”

In October 2017, the apprentices went on a residential trip to Grange-over-Sands as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, where they took part in activities from raft building to hiking.

The group are the second to join TPE following the recruitment of eight apprentices in 2016. The company plans to employ a further 30 apprentices over the next five years.