Britain’s biggest railway academy opens today with the promise of 500 jobs for new apprentices. 

The Transport, Rail and Infrastructure Academy (TRIA), in what was once the heartbeat of the Industrial Revolution, will fast-track learners to help make Britain’s railways great again. 

The world-leading site in Aston, West Midlands, boasts a 15-metre high-speed track, 30 metres of conventional track, a high-speed set of points, a level crossing barrier and training facilities for civil engineering programmes.

All those who start there today have been offered jobs on existing and future construction and rail projects across the region.

Davie Carns, chief executive and founder of National Infrastructure Solutions, partnered with the City of Wolverhampton College to launch the pioneering programme, said: “Everything we do is focused on helping people secure sustainable long-term jobs.

“The fact we have over 500 jobs pledged by employers before the centre officially opens shows the urgent need for workers in the infrastructure, rail and construction sectors, not to mention the belief these companies have in our ability to train individuals to industry standards.”

He added: “This is such an incentive for individuals considering a career in this field. They can immediately see that by embarking on the training with us that there is a guaranteed job at the end of it. We’ll make sure that by the time they finish with us they will have the base skills, the qualifications and, in some cases, specialist knowledge of certain disciplines to be an immediate success.”

Up to 1,000 people will benefit from entry level courses to give them the qualifications and skills required while hundreds more will train on specialist equipment and tracks to help them progress in infrastructure and rail.

Peter Merry, deputy principal and chief executive of City of Wolverhampton College, said: “This project contributing to the regeneration of the region by equipping people of all ages, abilities and levels of experience with the skills needed to work in construction and maintenance across the West Midlands and beyond.”

Mr Carns added: “It is something we are passionate about and an area where we have a proven track record with 87% of the people we work with going on to gain sustainable employment in rail and wider infrastructure sectors. Let’s be clear, this is thousands of people who have trained with us, not a handful to meet a tick box exercise.”