Subscribe to our Construction Newsfeed
UK Construction Directory
Search our 157,481 companies....

Construction News

11/10/2011

TUCA Welcomes First Students As Phased Opening Gets Underway

The £13 million Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA) has welcomed its first students.

The first training courses to be offered at the Academy include the Tunnel Safety Card, pre-requisite for anyone who will work below ground on Crossrail, and Construction Skills Certification Scheme health and safety card training. Vocational courses initially on offer are pre-cast concrete manufacture and tunnel operations training.

Between now and the end of the year, a variety of other vocational training courses will begin to be offered, increasing the number of students attending the new campus.

Work to install tunnelling plant and machinery in the major vocational training areas, including a static tunnel boring machine and a simulated tunnel environment, will complete by the end of the year. This will allow students to gain experience in the practical skills required for underground construction.

By early 2012, the Academy will be fully open for business with the full curriculum in delivery and the vocational training areas operational. Up to 150 students will be attending courses offered through the Academy at any one time.

Located at Ilford in east London, TUCA aims to address the shortage of people with the necessary skills to work on Crossrail and other tunnelling projects in London and the UK. It also has the potential to assist European projects.

The Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy will offer training to at least 3,500 people over the lifetime of the Crossrail project alone. The only other dedicated tunnelling training facility in Europe is located in Switzerland.
-- Advertisement --
hss



Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: "I am a huge supporter of the aims of this academy and I am thrilled that it is now enrolling its first students. At the height of construction many thousands of people will be working on Crossrail and it will provide a huge economic boost to the capital. Our new academy in east London will be a vital resource and Crossrail is working closely with job centres along the route to ensure as many local people as possible are able to learn the skills necessary to play a part in the largest construction project in the southeast for 50 years."

Rail Minister Theresa Villiers said: "Investing in this Academy further emphasises Government’s commitment to rebalancing our economy and promoting the skills our young people need to help Britain compete in the world.

"This Academy's legacy will be a new generation of specialists able to help deliver important infrastructure projects to support growth here and anywhere across the globe."

TUCA students will be made up of new entrants to the industry as well as Crossrail's contractors’ existing workforces. Those already working in the industry can up-skill or formalise their knowledge through nationally accredited technical and safety training including apprenticeships, NVQs and other programmes.

TUCA is a large structure, approximately 100 metres long, 36 metres wide and 12 metres high. The total size of the Academy extends to 3,600 sq. metres.

Facilities will replicate the key areas of a fully-automated tunnelling project. These will include a simulated tunnel boring machine environment, supported by a TBM backup area, with a loco and narrow gauge railway to the rear. There will be a separate chamber for Sprayed Concrete operations in addition to a large underground construction workshop. TUCA will also have four teaching rooms, a test centre for online safety tests, a large refectory and a Learning Resource Centre.

An Industry Advisory Panel, comprising representatives from client and contractor organisations involved in underground construction, will ensure the training on offer at TUCA is world-class and responsive to the needs of industry. The Panel will include representatives of Thames Water and National Grid.

Crossrail also announced a further sponsorship deal for the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy. BASF Meyco Equipment are to donate plant and construction supplies worth £600,000.

BASF Meyco Equipment joins National Grid, Interocean Personnel Services and New Civil Engineer magazine who have already signed-up to support the Academy. Further sponsorship deals are currently being finalised with the construction industry including key Crossrail suppliers.

(CD)

Latest Construction News

10/07/2025
Vistry Group has agreed two major deals with housing provider Abri to enable the delivery of almost 200 affordable homes across Hampshire, marking a significant step forward in addressing local housing needs. In Funtley, near Fareham, Vistry has completed a simultaneous land acquisition and forward
10/07/2025
Caddick Construction has officially completed its first Midlands project with the handover of Mansion House, a six-storey residential development comprising 58 new apartments, to joint venture partners Urban Splash and Places for People. Located on the 43-acre Port Loop island alongside Birmingham
10/07/2025
Lovell has broken ground on a new residential development in Port Sunlight, set to transform a long-vacant brownfield industrial site into a thriving community of 115 high-quality homes. Located on Dock Road North, the development supports the local authority’s strategy to unlock underused land for
10/07/2025
Morgan Sindall Construction's Wales division has officially broken ground on a new state-of-the-art Additional Learning Needs (ALN) school in Clydach Vale, designed to be net zero carbon in operation. Commissioned by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, the £37 million school will provide Engl
10/07/2025
HG Construction has announced a £1.2 million investment in Dumarey Green Power's 'Revolution Battery' technology, following successful trials earlier this year aimed at decarbonising crane and hoist operations across its UK sites. The investment marks a significant step in HG Construction's drive t
10/07/2025
M Group has completed a major improvement project at Queenstown Road Station in south-west London, delivering long-awaited upgrades including a new rear entrance designed to ease access for daily commuters. Undertaken on behalf of developer Taylor Wimpey, the project involved significant engineerin
10/07/2025
Helical has appointed McLaren Construction as the main contractor for the £90 million transformation of Brettenham House, an iconic Art Deco building on London's north bank, into a state-of-the-art sustainable office and retail hub. Originally built in 1932 and located within the Savoy Conservation
10/07/2025
Tower Hamlets Council has completed 30 road resurfacing schemes across the borough over the past year, thanks to targeted investment and funding support from central government. The improvements aim to deliver a more resilient road network, reduce disruption, and lower carbon emissions. Part-fund
10/07/2025
Mace has been appointed by Pegasi to deliver the major transformation of Fresh Wharf, a prominent 1980s building located on the banks of the River Thames, into a cutting-edge, sustainability-driven workplace. Situated just minutes from Tower Bridge, the 11-storey structure will be transformed to of
10/07/2025
Morgan Sindall Construction has celebrated a key milestone at Abbeywood Community School with a steel signing ceremony marking the final structural installation of the school's new extension – completed ahead of schedule. Held on 27 June, the event brought together representatives from South Glouce
Aqua Direct LtdLakeside HireEfco UK LtdStuart CanvasCroxfordsDown Training & DevelopmentGP Products (UK) LLPMV CommercialAlbion RA LtdB & L Shutters Ltd