APPRENTICE engineers are the first class to graduate from a new academy.

Eight students have completed the three-year engineering course at Prospects College of Advanced Technology in Luckyn Lane, Basildon.

They are now preparing to join the world of work with Bombardier Transportation after being the first students to use the college’s railway academy, which opened in September 2014, and houses a station environment, complete with platform, track, customer information system, CCTV and both lineside and trackside equipment.

The groups will work on carriages and wagons at depots in Ilford, East Ham and Seven Kings.

Robert Green, lead training and competency assessor, at Bombardier’s Services, said they had worked closely with the college.

He said: “It has been a journey for both the college and Bombardier to fill a gap where other engineering apprenticeships fell short of our expectations.

“We now have multiskilled and talented staff to take our business forward in the future.”

All eight of the 2012 apprentice intake, James Drane, Daniel Burton, Sam Gumbrell, Michael Daniels, Paul Curley, Danny Smith, Sam Howe and Matthew Smith, are now employed in full-time positions as service technicians, vehicle testers and methods technicians.