Published on: Wednesday, 30 December 2015
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
New initiative, which supports the Norwich for Jobs campaign, starts in January 2016
Abellio Greater Anglia is to launch a bespoke apprenticeship scheme for customer service in January 2016, initially recruiting a team of 10 apprentices in Norfolk.
The training programme will see the new recruits join the company’s customer service team and, as well as gaining experience of core customer service roles on stations and on trains (including at busy times such as holiday periods or when there are major events such as football matches), they will also spend time with the customer relations, revenue protection, catering, train presentation and fleet maintenance teams.
The 10 apprentices, who will receive one to one training while working in the company’s customer service department at Norwich, will participate in a 12 month programme where they will work towards a Level 2 NVQ.
The course is aimed at those aged between 18 and 23 and, although the jobs will be based in Norwich, it is expected that the apprentices will work across the East Anglia patch.
The apprenticeships will be paid significantly above the national minimum wage. Anyone interested in applying should visit the Abellio Greater Anglia website at www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk/careers for details of the apprenticeships and how to apply.
The initiative compliments the Norwich for Jobs campaign, which aims to reduce youth unemployment in the city and surrounding areas and, if the scheme is a success, the company will look at the options for extending it.
Andrew Goodrum, Customer Service Director at Abellio Greater Anglia, said: “We are very pleased to be offering these new apprenticeships. This customised training course will offer a range of transferrable skills. We already operate a very successful engineering apprenticeship scheme and this new scheme will help strengthen our customer service department.
“The railway is a great place to work with a wealth of opportunities and fantastic benefits. We look forward to welcoming our new apprentices.”