The council is funding the Rail Skills Academy, which is being delivered by QTS Training on behalf of Network Rail.

Aimed at 18- to 24-year-olds living in South Lanarkshire and out of employment, it will help to combat the skills shortage and lack of diversity in the rail industry.

The academy is part of the legacy programme for the East Kilbride Enhancement Project and will be based at the project site.

It is intended to equip participants with competencies and experience ranging from employability and core skills to Health and Safety, track safety and track induction, as well as covering the SQA Level 4 Practical Skills for Employment qualification.

Each academy session will run for 10 weeks, with transportation provided to and from the site for participants.

A skills assessment day for the programme will be held at the Routes to Work South office, The Plaza, East Kilbride. on Friday, 9 August, from 10am to 12.30pm.

Councillor Robert Brown, Chair of South Lanarkshire Council’s Community and Enterprise Resources, said: “This is a great initiative providing opportunities for young people and developing a talented workforce for South Lanarkshire.

“Taking part in meaningful work experience and training is a key component to support young people into sustainable employment, and so the council is delighted to be working in partnership with QTS and Routes to Work South to provide opportunities for young people to develop their skills and progress to employment opportunities within the rail industry.”

QTS Group is a leading multi-discipline UK railway contractor that has its headquarters in Strathaven and has nine offices across the UK.

Lorna Gibson, Director of Training at QTS, said: “As a lead contractor in the rail sector, QTS has been developing a range of programmes, including apprenticeships, traineeships and graduate development, to encourage young people to join the industry.

“This will be the eighth cohort of QTS Rail Skills Academy trainees and we are delighted to bring the opportunity for the first time to South Lanarkshire. The programme has a current success rate of 97% of employment following graduation, showing the demand for these young people within the industry.”

Gerry McQuade, Network Rail’s Capital Delivery Director, said: “We’re delighted to support this initiative once again, following on from our previous involvement with the Rail Skills Academy in Fife.

“Our work currently underway to electrify the East Kilbride to Glasgow line is multidisciplinary and so it provides a great opportunity for the Academy’s recruits to gain invaluable insights. Part of their training will be hands-on to help them understand the skills and roles involved in delivering complex engineering projects on Scotland’s Railway.”

Anyone interested in applying for the East Kilbride Enhancement Project Rail Skills Academy can email fgrant@rtws.org for further information.