Heathrow has announced plans to create 5,000 apprenticeships and training opportunities for young people as part of plans to develop a third runway - and tackle the sector's skills crisis. 

The airport, along with Make UK, the TUC and senior former government figures have today announced the launch of a new council aimed at harnessing major infrastructure projects to tackle Britain’s NEETS crisis – young people not in education, employment or training. The ambition has been endorsed by Alan Milburn, who is currently leading the independent review into young people and work established by the government.

Almost a million young people are currently classes as NEET. The new Heathrow Infrastructure Skills Council will bring together businesses, trade unions, colleges, and training partners from across the UK to examine how infrastructure projects, like the airport’s expansion, can unlock and maximise opportunities for young people, by helping to create clearer routes into skilled careers.

To support this ambition Heathrow’s youth employment and skills plan aims to deliver 5,000 youth apprenticeships, traineeships and other entry-level pathways. This comes in addition to unlocking 108,000 jobs nationwide, spanning engineering, construction, logistics, sustainability and the wider supply chain.

The council will be co-chaired by former education secretary and home secretary Lord Blunkett and Robert Halfon, former skills and apprenticeships minister and now executive director at Make UK.

The new body will identify practical measures that may be adopted by Heathrow and other major infrastructure projects to identify job opportunities for this generation of young people and the next. Finding will culminate in a report outlining recommendations for Heathrow, the wider infrastructure industry and the government.

The council will hold four regional meeting to hear from employers, colleges, training providers and young people about how to best secure the skills pipeline to build Britain’s future infrastructure.

The mayor of each host region will also be invited to join following the prime minister’s recent announcement that age 16-19 funding and employment support will transfer to mayors.

Alan Milburn, government youth employment adviser and chair of the Milburn Review, said: “Nearly one million young people in Britain are not in education, employment or training. Unless we act, we risk a lost generation of young people.

“Turning that around means giving young people a reason to believe there is a future for them in Britain’s economy. Major projects like Heathrow expansion have the potential to make a real difference by connecting young people who need jobs to opportunities, skills and experience that can change the course of their lives.

“I welcome this initiative from Heathrow and the creation of the Infrastructure Skills Council. If we can harness major infrastructure investment to give many more young people a stake in Britain’s future, that will be good for them and good for the future of our country.  It is a win-win.”

Heathrow’s CEO, Thomas Woldbye, said Heathrow’s expansion is an “incredible opportunity to futureproof the UK’s critical national infrastructure and to build the skilled workforce the nation needs”.

“We want young people in every region and nation to share in the benefits of expansion, gaining the training, experience and pathways into rewarding careers that major projects can provide,” he added. “This is a nationally significant project that will inspire, train, and develop the next generation of skilled workers, leaving a lasting legacy.”