Apprentices on the road to success

The ongoing construction of the new dual carriageway has provided local training opportunities with the council's Infrastructure and Commercial team.

During their apprenticeships, the students undergo at least three years of training, gaining BTEC and then HNC qualifications.

On completing their training, they are then able to apply for positions within the council's team or go out into the world of work well equipped for similar roles with other organisations.

Lewis McNeil, 18, from Houghton is an apprentice with the council's Infrastructure and Commercial team working on the SSTC3 project. He said: "I am really enjoying my experience working on the project, being able to work alongside different subcontractors is great experience and it is very engaging to get to see how a project like this comes together on site.

"I have one day at college and the rest of the week is split between working from the office and visiting the site where I'm involved in tasks like keeping a site diary, monitoring schedules and meeting with different subcontractors."

Joe Blacklock, 21, from Hetton also started out as apprentice and has since progressed into the role of technician working on SSTC3. He said: "I would recommend apprenticeships to anyone. I started as an apprentice back in September 2018 and the training and experience I received helped prepare me for work on a complex project like SSTC3. Those two years prepared me for the responsibilities I have now as a technician in a site supervision role."

Sunderland City Council's Leader, Councillor Graeme Miller, said: "Apprenticeships provide great opportunities not only for school leavers and graduates, but also for people at any stage of their career.

"I am delighted to see that this project is giving apprentices and trainees the chance to train on a really significant project where they will gain valuable experience and be part of a project that is changing the face of the city centre."

The SSTC3 project is being delivered by Esh construction on behalf of Sunderland City Council. It will create a new 2.5km uninterrupted dual carriageway which begins at the southern end of Northern Spire and continues through the former Pallion Shipyard, underneath the Queen Alexandra Bridge, into Deptford Terrace and onto Riverside Sunderland. 

The scheme remains on track to be completed in Autumn 2021 with the next phase of work concentrating on the westbound area, between Hylton Roundabout and the former Simpson Street area.