Transport For Wales has won an award for its apprentice train driver scheme.

The programme helped the company secure the Large Employer of the Year at the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2024.

Transport For Wales (TfW) was established in 2015 as a not-for-profit company to support the Welsh Government’s transport network vision and has since championed work-based learning.

By 2021, TfW had launched the UK's first apprenticeship programme for trainee drivers.

Designed in partnership with the awarding body EAL and Coleg y Cymoedd, the programme is part of TfW's commitment to improving performance and ensuring long-term sustainability.

The apprenticeship initiative has attracted scores of recruits from diverse backgrounds to the rail industry.

TfW aims to introduce around 150 new apprentices each year over the next several years.

Currently employing 189 apprentices and having recruited more than 300 in the past five years, TfW's apprenticeship initiative reaches across 12 areas of the business.

Commenting on the award, Adam Bagwell, TfW’s operations training manager, said: "After years of hard work, to win this fantastic award is the cherry on top of the icing on the cake.

"We are thrilled to be recognised with this special award."

The sponsors and organisers of the award ceremony were full of praise for TfW and other participants.

Al Parkes, managing director at EAL, said: "Showcasing their achievements is important as it inspires more people to consider apprenticeships."

Simon Pirotte OBE, chief executive of the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research, added: "Stories like theirs drive home the high impact that apprenticeships can have.

"They will be a crucial part of the newly founded Commission for Tertiary Education and Research."

The event was organised by the Welsh Government, and recognises the achievements of employers, apprentices and learning providers.