Project goes ahead along with potential Apprenticeships and work placements
Terry Morgan, Crossrail’s* Chairman recently welcomed the Government’s decision to protect the Crossrail programme from reduction in scope or funding. He said “We welcome today’s strong statement by the Government of its firm support for the project. Today’s decision removes any remaining doubt that Crossrail is going ahead and that it will be built in its entirety."
However, the project is clearly aware of the need to reduce costs and “is looking at engineering-led solutions and re-programming of the central tunnels construction programme to make substantial savings.
The Crossrail project was covered in the September 2010 Central London Connexions LMI Update. It will run 118 km from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west, through new twin-bore 21 km tunnels under central London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. When Crossrail opens it will increase London's rail-based transport network capacity by 10 per cent.
Jobs
Up to 14,000 people will be employed at the peak of construction in 2013/2015, with an estimated further 7000 jobs created indirectly. There will be a gradual increase in staffing levels between 2009 and Q1 2011, before the steep increase as construction ramps up, leading to peaks in personnel requirements in early 2014 and late 2015.
Jobs will fall into three main categories - management, engineering and craft. From Q4 2009 until Q4 2016, the vast majority of personnel requirements will fall into the craft category, with around 12,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) at the height of construction.
Craft full-time equivalent (FTE), by year
There will be a large demand for electrical and finishing trades such as tilers, plasterers and painters. A relatively small, but vital, group are the underground construction operatives – peaking at just over 500 FTE in 2013. Crossrail will also need logistics skills, particularly lorry drivers.
All contractors in the supply chain will be required to communicate opportunities to local residents (including people from disadvantaged groups and deprived communities). Jobcentre Plus will provide information on job vacancies, with a 48 hour window to fill the vacancy before the contractor advertises elsewhere.
Apprenticeships
Crossrail will require that contractors deliver one apprenticeship or equivalent per £3m of contract value and provide 400 Apprenticeships, through the supply chain. The Apprenticeships offered, amongst others, will be:
- Electrical
- Mechanical
- Finishing Trades
- Tunnelling (working with ConstructionSkills to develop specialist Apprenticeships in tunnelling operations which will be delivered via the new Underground Construction Academy).
A new Tunnelling Academy will be set up in Redbridge, East London, training up to 1,000 people a year to “act as a focal point for the industry”.
Some Apprenticeship vacancies have already started coming through to COREPlus/Choice Jobs via the Apprenticeship vacancies site. Details were mentioned in the CLC September LMI Update but have included Construction Operative, Carpenter & Joiner and Construction Engineering Technician.
Some contractors will be unable to offer Apprenticeships due to the nature of their work and so will be offering other training opportunities, such as work placements or tasters instead.
Crossrail are keen to bring these opportunities to the attention of young Londoners and their advisers and are planning a series of meetings and training events with Connexions staff and training providers working with young people starting in January 2011.
*Crossrail is delivered by Crossrail Limited (CRL). CRL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London. Crossrail is jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport and Transport for London.
Trevor Bottomley
Employment & Labour Market Adviser
Central London Connexions
December 2010
Project goes ahead along with potential Apprenticeships and work placements
Terry Morgan, Crossrail’s* Chairman recently welcomed the Government’s decision to protect the Crossrail programme from reduction in scope or funding. He said “We welcome today’s strong statement by the Government of its firm support for the project. Today’s decision removes any remaining doubt that Crossrail is going ahead and that it will be built in its entirety."
However, the project is clearly aware of the need to reduce costs and “is looking at engineering-led solutions and re-programming of the central tunnels construction programme to make substantial savings.
The Crossrail project was covered in the September 2010 Central London Connexions LMI Update. It will run 118 km from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west, through new twin-bore 21 km tunnels under central London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. When Crossrail opens it will increase London's rail-based transport network capacity by 10 per cent.
Jobs
Up to 14,000 people will be employed at the peak of construction in 2013/2015, with an estimated further 7000 jobs created indirectly. There will be a gradual increase in staffing levels between 2009 and Q1 2011, before the steep increase as construction ramps up, leading to peaks in personnel requirements in early 2014 and late 2015.
Jobs will fall into three main categories - management, engineering and craft. From Q4 2009 until Q4 2016, the vast majority of personnel requirements will fall into the craft category, with around 12,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) at the height of construction.
Craft full-time equivalent (FTE), by year
There will be a large demand for electrical and finishing trades such as tilers, plasterers and painters. A relatively small, but vital, group are the underground construction operatives – peaking at just over 500 FTE in 2013. Crossrail will also need logistics skills, particularly lorry drivers.
All contractors in the supply chain will be required to communicate opportunities to local residents (including people from disadvantaged groups and deprived communities). Jobcentre Plus will provide information on job vacancies, with a 48 hour window to fill the vacancy before the contractor advertises elsewhere.
Apprenticeships
Crossrail will require that contractors deliver one apprenticeship or equivalent per £3m of contract value and provide 400 Apprenticeships, through the supply chain. The Apprenticeships offered, amongst others, will be:
- Electrical
- Mechanical
- Finishing Trades
- Tunnelling (working with ConstructionSkills to develop specialist Apprenticeships in tunnelling operations which will be delivered via the new Underground Construction Academy).
A new Tunnelling Academy will be set up in Redbridge, East London, training up to 1,000 people a year to “act as a focal point for the industry”.
Some Apprenticeship vacancies have already started coming through to COREPlus/Choice Jobs via the Apprenticeship vacancies site. Details were mentioned in the CLC September LMI Update but have included Construction Operative, Carpenter & Joiner and Construction Engineering Technician.
Some contractors will be unable to offer Apprenticeships due to the nature of their work and so will be offering other training opportunities, such as work placements or tasters instead.
Crossrail are keen to bring these opportunities to the attention of young Londoners and their advisers and are planning a series of meetings and training events with Connexions staff and training providers working with young people starting in January 2011.
*Crossrail is delivered by Crossrail Limited (CRL). CRL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London. Crossrail is jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport and Transport for London.
Trevor Bottomley
Employment & Labour Market Adviser
Central London Connexions
December 2010