Heathrow has convened the first meeting of its Heathrow Infrastructure Skills Council, bringing unions, colleges and training providers together to prepare workers for the airport’s expansion programme. The opportunities span engineering, logistics, electrical installation, carpentry and joinery. The first meeting marks the start of that coordination effort.
The skills push is taking place amid fresh uncertainty over political backing for expansion. Heathrow forecasts at least 17,500 local jobs at peak construction, along with 33,000 jobs across its nine neighbouring boroughs by 2055. It has pledged 5,000 youth apprenticeships, traineeships and other routes into work.
The airport will also 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 plans to launch 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.
The announcements cover both near-term training routes and longer-term job projections. They also link the expansion to local and national growth objectives through the framework, while the skills council is one of the vehicles for coordinating the training effort. Heathrow has not yet secured firm political backing for the project.
Lord Blunkett, co-chair of the Heathrow Infrastructure Skills Council, said the focus should be on the potential of expansion and investment in major future infrastructure, and on putting in place the education and skills pipeline needed to meet the challenge.
The jobs announcement comes as the airport faces a battle to maintain political momentum. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has declined to endorse the scheme, while Chancellor John Healey has championed its economic benefits. Burnham has suggested that expansion should be “a matter for London and Londoners”. The Sunday Times has 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 has always been a case for growth.” The airport still faces a lengthy planning process and has indicated that the runway may not open until 2039, four years later than its original target.