Boris Johnson announces funding for Crossrail Tunnelling Academy

10:01 22nd April 2009

Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, has announced £8 million worth of funding for a Crossrail Tunnelling Academy in Newham, east London.

The academy is being established to provide training to ensure engineers have the skills to work on the Crossrail project, a transport infrastructure scheme which will run from Maidenhead to Shenfield and Abbey Wood, reports the Guardian.

Crossrail Tunnelling Academy forms one part of a wider initiative being run by Transport for London (TfL), which will increase the number of skilled workers for a variety of infrastructure improvements in the city.

Mr Johnson told the paper: "With Crossrail construction starting shortly and TfL's multibillion pound modernisation of the tube ramping up, engineering can provide a huge and vital economic boost and help London become the true engineering capital of Europe."

Around 1,000 people will benefit from course at the academy between 2010 and 2015, while many could be inspired to seek computer and IT training as well.

In related news, Working Links recently said that as much emphasis should be placed on learning personal skills as on academic qualifications.