New apprentices to start at Hitachi's Newton Aycliffe site

Hitachi Rail is set to take on new apprentices at its manufacturing site in Newton Aycliffe.

Train building apprentices and graduates will start next week as part of a national training programme which will double their trainees nationally.

Newton Aycliffe will employ four apprentices and two graduates every year to work on train manufacturing projects following the success of the current scheme at the site which include technical and manufacturing apprentices. 100 will be working for the company nationwide.

The new apprentices will attend Middlesbrough College as they start to study for their Level 3 in a Mechanical or Electrical BTEC qualification.

Hitachi has recently invested over £250million in building a new network of depots as part of delivering the Government’s Intercity Express Programme. Apprentices will learn how to inspect and ready trains for passenger service using the latest industry technology. The level 3 apprenticeships will last up to three years.

A new intake of 10 graduates will also join Hitachi Rail’s trainee programme. Graduate engineers will rotate around sites in the UK, including Newton Aycliffe. They will work with colleagues in Japan on train designs as well as bringing engineering expertise to depots.