Member

First, the committee asked how the regulations will support 16 and 17 year-olds progressing into train driving and whether the minimum age for a train driving level 3 apprenticeship could be lowered. Since our announcement, my department has worked with the Rail Delivery Group, Skills England and the Department for Education to explore this. As a result, the minimum entry age for the train-driving apprenticeship will be reduced from 18 to 17.5, with the intention that this takes effect alongside the regulations. This will allow young people to begin classroom learning and supervised practical training earlier, while remaining fully compliant with the Working Time Regulations.