Today (4th November), on ‘This Is Engineering Day’, Go North East is celebrating its award-winning engineering team that help keep the wheels moving on its 650-strong fleet of buses.
Behind the scenes, Go North East’s 233 engineers work tirelessly to ensure buses are safe and ready for service.
Around 90% of the company’s engineers started out as apprentices, including engineering director Colin Barnes.
Colin joined Go North East when he was just 17-year-old, and now plays a fundamental role in providing stars of the future as part of the company’s apprenticeship scheme, working in partnership with Gateshead College.
The company currently has 19 engineering apprentices working across the North East, whilst developing their skills one day a week training at Gateshead College’s £5.5million Skills Academy for Automotive, Engineering, Manufacturing and Logistics at Team Valley in Gateshead.
In recent years, Go North East has also invested £12million into new, state-of-the-art depots in Gateshead and Consett, and even more in new vehicles, to ensure its team is working with the latest technology available.
Commenting on his team’s efforts, Go North East’s engineering director, Colin Barnes, said: “I’m so proud of the team I have here at Go North East – they do an exceptional job in making sure that our buses are safe and ready for service.
“They are a hardworking, conscientious team who have adapted well over the coronavirus crisis and I can’t thank them enough for their efforts in helping keep the wheels moving on our buses for the people of the North East.”
To find out more about Go North East, visit www.gonortheast.co.uk.