In 2024, we began recruiting for a new wave of three-year engineering apprenticeships … with more to follow. Top industry qualifications and above average earnings await those who succeed.
Successful candidates can look forward to gaining a top engineering qualification, with above average annual earnings of around £40,000 plus overtime – while everyone who completes the programme will also gain a full PCV driving licence.
And as we at Transdev and the wider bus industry continue their transition to zero-emission electric buses, there’s never been a better time than now to be an engineering apprentice with us – as demand for time-served engineers reaches an all-time high.
Let’s meet the first two former engineering apprentices to complete three years of training … and discover the stories behind their workshop glories!
21 year old Owen Baxter beat over 50 applicants in August 2021 for the coveted opportunity to join Transdev’s The Harrogate Bus Company as a Mechelec Engineering Apprentice. He’s now a skilled engineer with an industry-recognised Level 3 qualification.
The term ‘Mechelec’ reflects the combination of mechanical and electrical skills required for the role, along with a forensic ability to find and fix complex faults to keep buses where they belong – on the road serving customers.
In Spring 2021, having completed three years of study at Newcastle College to secure his Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma in Engineering, Owen spotted an online advertisement for a coveted apprenticeship at The Harrogate Bus Company. In that moment, he knew it was his chance to make his career dreams come true.
Owen says:
“Gaining the ability to look at something that doesn’t work, find the cause, and then fix it, is what attracted me to this. The feeling of achievement when you return a bus to the road takes some beating,
“I learn something new every day from my colleagues and through experience. I was proud to be Apprentice of the Year in 2022’s Harrogate Advertiser Excellence in Business Awards, and that success along with the support of my colleagues, family and friends helped me to become a qualified engineering technician.”
Owen’s role is about much more than simple day-to-day repairs. A Mechelec technician has to work with a varied bus fleet from different manufacturers, with inspections, diagnoses, repairs and testing of electronic and mechanical systems all part of the job – while mastering everything from replacing a single part to solving complex faults using the latest computerised diagnostic equipment.
In Blackburn, Lancashire, Matthew Glass has also qualified as a skilled Level 3 engineer. Matthew, from nearby Darwen, grew up in a Lancashire engineering family – his dad was a car mechanic.
As a student, Matthew initially set aside his passion for the workshop in favour of a college course in accountancy, but soon realised it wasn’t for him. An interim job at a bookmakers at least made use of his head for figures, but at heart, Matthew still wanted to become an engineer.
Scouring online recruitment sites for the right opportunity led Matthew to an advertisement for an apprenticeship with us at The Blackburn Bus Company – and in that moment, Matthew knew this was the chance he’d been searching for … and joined our team at Intack depot in Blackburn in September 2021.
Matthew says:
“The best part of the three-year apprenticeship has been seeing the improvement in my ability to trace a fault and repair it. The first time I looked under a bus, it just looked like a big lump of metal, but over the three years I’ve gained a lot of confidence in my ability to do most jobs in the workshop.
“The support I have from my colleagues at the Intack workshops in Blackburn is just amazing – they all freely share their experience and I always know that if I can’t work out what’s wrong or how to fix it, they’re always happy to point me in the right direction.
“For the future, I’m looking forward to increasing my knowledge and experience of electric buses, and maybe a longer-term step up into managing things. The great thing about having this qualification is that it opens so many doors.”
Owen and Matthew now both hold the industry-recognised Bus and Coach Engineering Technician Standard qualification. With a blend of in-house training and specialist manufacturer technical courses, both are continuing to further develop their workshop skills.
We’re always keen to hear from would-be engineers ready to make their mark with us. Find out more here.