Skills & Employment

Access to a skilled workforce has been a crucial element in the delivery of Thameslink Programme

Early on, we committed to investing in the skills needed to secure the programme’s delivery as well as putting in place steps to create a lasting skills legacy for the industry.

As part of our approach to procurement, Thameslink Programme’s commercial contracts required principal contactors to commit to fulfilling specific skills and employment targets. These targets included local and/or unemployed job starts, apprenticeships, work placements and work experience. A planned learning legacy paper on Implementing Strategic Labour Needs & Training Targets will outline our approach to monitoring contractor performance to maximise employment and skills outcomes across the project.

Thameslink Programme monitored contractors’ implementation of skills and employment initiatives

Thameslink Programme monitored contractors’ implementation of skills and employment initiatives by means of its Social Sustainability Performance Assurance Framework. This involved scrutiny of contractors’ delivery of quantitative targets; and also process and qualitative performance.

Contractors have been encouraged to discuss common issues and share good practice through various Employment & Skills Forums. A planned learning legacy paper on Employment & Skills Forums will review our approach to bringing contractors together to identify and share good practice. Terms of Reference will be shared alongside this learning legacy paper.