Celebrating National Apprenticeship Week: Meet the local apprentice who is making a difference at TransPennine Express
Kieran Jarvis from Manchester is one of several apprentices who is currently earning while learning at TransPennine Express (TPE) and this National Apprenticeship Week, the train operator has opened the door for future applicants to register their interest.
Kieran, 22, is currently undertaking a two-year apprenticeship with the company, benefitting from learning the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to follow a career in the rail sector, while earning a wage at the same time.
The train operator has more than 105 apprentices and Kieran is one of nineteen young apprentices experiencing several different areas within the company, such as customer experience, train planning, engineering and major projects. As part of their training, each apprentice is also working towards a professional qualification through a reputable training provider, as well as the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.
Kieran Jarvis said: “I’m currently working as an apprentice in the major projects team. This apprenticeship has given me so many opportunities; from deploying accessibility boarding ramps for our Nova fleet, being a part of a major office refurb of our HQ and to working on station design work.
“It has truly been a fantastic experience and I’ve enjoyed collaborating with colleagues across the industry. Looking forward to the future, apart from wanting to secure a full-time role within the industry, my aim is to continue making a difference for our passengers and putting them at the heart of what we do.”
Becky Titterington, Talent and Apprenticeship Manager at TransPennine Express said: “Our apprenticeship gives inspiring people from across the North and into Scotland, such as Kieran, the opportunity to experience working across some of the different and varied areas of the business, whilst adding to their personal growth through the achievement of the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.
“FirstGroup and TPE are committed to bringing talent into the business and the apprenticeship scheme plays a vital role in achieving that. Apprentices continue to be a fantastic asset to TPE, bringing a fresh perspective, questioning mind and passion to support our vision.”
Last year 87.5% of TPE’s apprentices obtained a full-time position upon completion of their qualification.
Leah Brook is one of those individuals who has gone on to secure a full-time position within TPE. Leah, now a Customer Information Assistant said: “The apprenticeship scheme is a unique opportunity and one that can be extremely rewarding, as I found out.
“Learning about different aspects of the business gave me an opportunity to grow my skill set all whilst earning a wage at the same time, the hard work paid off too and I’m delighted to now work in a full-time role at TPE.”
People can register their interest in a TPE apprenticeship via the Early Careers Apprenticeships Talent Registration Page on the FirstGroup website. When vacancies become available, those who have signed up will receive an alert signposting them to the live vacancies.