Long-term support for the bus industry is one of the main factors behind the creation of the Skills Challenge competition and a vision that is shared by bus builder Alexander Dennis (ADL).
Despite a year full of its own challenges, the return of the competition for coach and bus technicians and apprentices is welcomed by long-term sponsor ADL as a way of committing to a longstanding vision of the sector.
“At ADL, we are committed to training and skills development of our own team, whether that’s through our apprenticeship and graduate development programmes, or development programmes at every level of our business from young managers to executives. The Skills Challenge is a natural extension of this,” says Jacqueline Anderson, ADL Group Marketing Director.
Despite a year when numbers on passenger transport have fallen, ADL is concentrating firmly on the future: A progressive move towards low- and zero-emission vehicles and being ready to deliver the green vehicles which the government has committed to.
“ADL offers the widest range of low, ultra-low and zero-emission buses on the market. These include SmartPack and SmartHybrid to biogas, hybrid, electric range (where geofencing allows the vehicle to run in zero-emission mode at certain points on a route), battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell-electric,” adds Ms Anderson.
“We announced recently that we are expanding our capability further by transferring design and assembly of electric bus chassis to our UK facilities for the domestic market, with support on the ground from our electric vehicle partner, BYD.
“Our focus on ‘made in Britain’ helps support the nation’s economy by investing in UK manufacturing, the wider supply chain and skills development.”
Click here to enter the Skills Challenge or to find out more information.
