Stagecoach East Midlands highlights value of apprentices, as government rolls out new vocational qualification

• Government announces new vocational qualification
• Apprentices key in maintaining bus operator’s history of reliability
• Award-winning apprenticeship scheme

Stagecoach East Midlands has put a spotlight on the outstanding work done by its Engineering Apprentices, in driving the operation forward and maintaining its reputation for reliability, after the government, again, highlighted the importance of vocational training.

Matt Cranwell, Managing Director of Stagecoach East Midlands, said: “We are hugely proud of the work done by our Engineering Apprentices. They really are the future of the bus industry – it is their dedication and ingenuity which will drive the industry forward into the future.

“Stagecoach offers an award-winning Engineering Apprenticeship scheme, and we go to great lengths to make sure that apprentices get the knowledge and skills they need to accomplish their goals, and to provide them with a robust career, offering the best possible service for our loyal customers.”

The comments come just days after the announcement that new vocational courses, called V-levels, will be rolled out for 16-year-olds. Speaking at the Labour Party Conference, last month, Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, insisted that the old target of having half of young people going to university “was no longer right for our times” and, instead, there should be a greater emphasis on vocational training.

Stagecoach’s Engineering Apprenticeships last four years and are structured to provide comprehensive learning and skill development. Across the East Midlands, Engineering Apprentices include Mark Boult, who has traded-up to become a Bodybuilder, and Apprentice of the Year, Adam Flowers.

Apprentices play a key role in maintaining Stagecoach East Midlands’ reputation for reliability, both today and into the future. Last month, the operator revealed figures showing that, over the past 12 months, it has run 99.56% of the miles it was timetabled to run. This means that it was unable to operate only one in every 225 scheduled trips - and nearly half of this very small amount of mileage lost was due to factors outside of the operator’s control, like congestion and road diversions.

-- To find out more about local bus routes and services, and to buy before you board and to track your local bus, you can download the Stagecoach Bus App from https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/national/stagecoachbusapp.

ENDS

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About Stagecoach

Founded in 1980, Stagecoach is the UK’s largest bus and coach operator, with a fleet of 8,400 vehicles connecting over 100 major towns and cities across England, Scotland, and Wales.

With 25,000 people in our team, we’re deeply rooted in the communities we serve. We know how important it is to stay connected to the people and places that matter – and we’re proud to play our part in helping make everyday journey simpler, greener and more reliable.

It’s all part of our promise: we’ve got you.

We work closely with partners to support greener, smarter, and more inclusive transport – helping reduce congestion, cut emissions and boost local economies. More than 10% of our 8,400-strong fleet is now electric, and that number continues to grow as we invest in cleaner, more sustainable travel.

As part of our sustainability strategy, we’ve committed to supporting local communities by donating up to 0.5% of profit before tax each year to charitable causes across the UK.