Heathrow has convened the first meeting of its Heathrow Infrastructure Skills Council as it prepares workers for a large expansion programme, even as political backing for a new runway remains uncertain.
The airport said the council brings together unions, colleges and training providers. The roles linked to the programme span engineering, logistics, electrical installation, carpentry and joinery.
The council's first meeting marks a formal start to coordinating the labour pipeline for the build.
Training and job commitments
Heathrow forecasts at least 17,500 local jobs at peak construction. It also projects 33,000 jobs across its nine neighbouring boroughs by 2055.
The airport has pledged 5,000 youth apprenticeships, traineeships and other routes into work. It will play a key role in the new West London Construction Training Excellence Centre, one of 10 being established nationally by the Department for Education.
An expanded SME Academy is intended to help smaller firms compete for supply chain work generated by the privately financed project. Heathrow also plans a refreshed face-to-face work experience programme for local students within the next year, followed by an annual careers event starting in March 2027.
The measures form part of its new Economic Development Framework, which sets out how expansion could deliver local and national growth, according to the airport. The company presents the framework as a way to align skills investment with the expansion programme; the job and apprenticeship figures are forecasts and commitments rather than confirmed outcomes.
Lord Blunkett, co-chair of the skills council, said it was time to look toward the horizon, recognise the potential of expansion and investment in major infrastructure, and establish the education and skills pipeline needed to meet the challenge.
Political questions remain
The skills push comes amid fresh uncertainty over political support. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has declined to endorse the scheme, while Chancellor John Healey has championed its economic benefits.
Burnham has suggested expansion should be a matter for London and Londoners. The Sunday Times also reported that he told Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander he was unconvinced by the project.
Healey struck a more supportive tone on Friday, saying the case for a third runway at Heathrow had always been a case for growth. The divergence leaves the project without unified backing from senior government figures, even as its skills preparations move ahead.
The airport still faces a lengthy planning process. It has indicated the runway may not open until 2039, four years later than its original target. That timetable means the training plans are being developed well before any final construction schedule is settled.