Heathrow has convened the first meeting of its Heathrow Infrastructure Skills Council, bringing together unions, colleges and training providers to prepare workers for its proposed expansion. The airport said the programme would cover roles in engineering, logistics, electrical installation, carpentry and joinery. The roles listed span construction trades and support functions, reflecting the range of work Heathrow expects the expansion to generate.
The move is intended to build a labour pipeline for a project that Heathrow says could support at least 17,500 local jobs at peak construction. It also forecasts 33,000 jobs across its nine neighbouring boroughs by 2055. Those are projections tied to expansion, not outcomes that have yet been delivered. The figures form part of Heathrow’s case that expansion can deliver local and national growth.
Training commitments
Heathrow has pledged 5,000 youth apprenticeships, traineeships and other routes into work. It will also participate 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.
The airport plans to launch a refreshed face-to-face work experience programme for local students within the next year, followed by an annual careers event from March 2027. These measures form part of its new Economic Development Framework, which sets out how expansion could contribute to local and national growth.
Political uncertainty
The skills push comes as political support for expansion remains uncertain. 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, and The Sunday Times reported that he told transport secretary Heidi Alexander he was unconvinced by the project. Healey said the case for a third runway at Heathrow had always been a case for growth. The disagreement leaves the project without a clear political endorsement at the same time as its skills programme moves ahead.
Planning horizon
Heathrow still faces a lengthy planning process. The airport has indicated that the runway may not open until 2039, four years later than its original target. The timetable means the workforce programme is being developed before planning consent and well ahead of construction.
Lord Blunkett, co-chair of the Heathrow Infrastructure Skills Council, said it was time to look to the horizon, recognise the potential of expansion and investment in major infrastructure, and put in place the education and skills pipeline needed to meet the challenge. The council’s first meeting marks the start of that effort, but the project’s political and planning path remains unresolved.