On Wednesday 15 July, the National Railway Museum in York hosted the first-ever graduation ceremony for the award-winnning PlanBEE Rail apprenticeship programme.

The first intake of apprentices has now graduated, and seven of them are moving into permanent roles on the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) and other organisations that work on the project.

Two graduates – Amelia Abbott and Nick Bell – will join TRU as soon as they complete their placements in September. They will progress onto a Level 6 degree apprenticeship.

The TRU is one of the organisations that founded the apprenticeship scheme, which aims to hire and train new project managers who work across disciplines.

Recruits spent two years on the programme, working in rotation with four different employers, which enabled them to gain experience across different environments. 

The apprentices attended the event with their friends and family, alongside representatives from sponsor organisations.  

James Richardson, Managing Director of TRU, opened the event by welcoming guests to the ceremony, followed by apprentice Leah Allen speaking on behalf of the cohort. Neil Robertson, Chief Executive of the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR), alongside Vicky Cross, Director of Curriculum and Skills at Gateshead College, presented the graduates with their certificates.

The celebratory evening also included a showcase of posters. 

The National Railway Museum is a popular venue for events such as this, and has a long-standing project to develop its Central Hall.

“Being part of the first cohort of PlanBEE Rail has been an incredible experience. The rotational model meant I was able to build skills and confidence across a variety of organisations within the industry, and that breadth of experience has been invaluable in shaping me as a project professional.

“I had placement rotations with Balfour Beatty, VolkerRail, Network Rail and TransPennine Express, which all feed into TRU at various levels of the programme.

“I’m also from North Yorkshire, so this programme is close to home for me. To now be joining TRU is something I’m really proud of, and I’m excited to bring everything I’ve learned on the scheme into such a significant infrastructure project for the North.”

Amelia Abbott, who will be joining the Transpennine Route Upgrade as a Project Management Apprentice