- First Bus and Reaseheath College have teamed up to create a dedicated apprentice training academy to create engineers of the future for the bus industry
- State-of-the-art facility that recreates a bus depot environment for apprentices as part of industry leading 12-week training programme
- Facility that opened in 2021 is now starting to bear fruit as first cohort of apprentice progresses through the programme
First Bus welcomed Roads and Local Transport Minister Richard Holden MP to Reaseheath College to see the progress of the UK’s first dedicated Bus and coach engineering facility as part of National Apprenticeship Week.
An innovative and forward-thinking partnership between First Bus and Reaseheath has helped to establish the UK’s first Bus and Coach engineering academy. Apprentices are trained on the current fleet mix alongside the next generation of zero-emission vehicles, creating a clear pathway for future talent to progress into the industry.
Reaseheath College in Nantwich, Cheshire first opened the national centre in partnership with First Bus back in October 2021. Together they have transformed the college’s Hurleston Road site into a bespoke engineering apprentice academy.
Over £650k investment has gone into the training academy since the launch of the partnership with First Bus. The facility adopts a work experience-style environment to help instill a workplace mindset among apprentices and maintain a seamless switch from depot to learning for the apprentices.
The Roads Minister was given a full tour of the facility by First Bus Chief Operating Officer Andrew Jarvis and Head of Engineering Excellence Tony Cockcroft alongside Marcus Clinton, Principal and Chief Executive of Reaseheath College.
First Bus currently has a total of 132 apprentices in the business across England, Scotland and Wales, with 82 of those currently learning at the Reaseheath facility, specialising in mechanical and electrical engineering, coach building and stores.
Roads and Local Transport Minister, Richard Holden MP said: “Driving good skilled jobs across engineering and science across the country, and discovering new-age technologies to tackle pollution go hand in hand. Apprenticeships are at the heart of the Government’s mission to boost skills and employment, and it was brilliant to see the great work from First Bus with apprentices here in Reaseheath College, paving the way for exciting careers in a zero-emission bus future.”
Andrew Jarvis, Chief Operating Officer for First Bus said: “The creation of the facility at Reaseheath College has been a game-changer for our apprenticeship programme. It has been a concentrated collective effort by our Local Business Units around the country to ensure our apprentices have the best start to their training and the partnership with the team at Reaseheath College has been a huge part of this process. We’ve been determined to make sure access to vehicles and equipment for technical skills development are best-in-class and the programme is industry leading in order to recreate a realistic depot environment for our apprentices. Zero-emission engine technologies are evolving rapidly as First Bus invests in greener fleets to reduce carbon and improve air quality. It’s vitally important that we build a pipeline of highly skilled engineers with the right knowledge to maintain the current and next generation of buses to help futureproof our business.”
Marcus Clinton, Principal and Chief Executive of Reaseheath College said: “We were delighted to welcome the Minister here today as it gave us the opportunity to show off the unique apprenticeship programme which we deliver in partnership with First Bus. By working closely with First Bus we have been able to shape a relevant curriculum delivering a first-class combination of technical and employability skills which meet the specific needs of the company and also guarantees jobs for the apprentices. This very successful model puts First Bus firmly in the driving seat and demonstrates the very best example of an educational institution working in unity with an industry partner. Reaseheath is well known for this type of co-operative partnership and this leading-edge approach is certainly something to celebrate during National Apprenticeship Week.”