Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy

The establishment of a Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA) is central to Crossrail's delivery plans and its legacy to the industry.

What is TUCA?

The Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA) is a purpose-built training facility that supports the key skills required to work in tunnel excavation, underground construction and infrastructure.

By building and establishing TUCA, Crossrail is contributing to the development of new qualifications and Health and Safety standards across the industry.

Crossrail is working with industry, professional bodies and other organisations with a requirement for skilled underground workers, to ensure that the facilities and training at TUCA are aligned with the needs of the industry.

Location of TUCA

TUCA is located at Aldersbrook Sidings on the border of Newham and Redbridge. The site is a ten minute walk from Ilford station making it easily accessible by train.

Why do we need TUCA?

Crossrail needs TUCA to address the shortage of people with the necessary skills to work on the programme. TUCA will ensure that all people working underground on Crossrail sites achieve the Tunnel Safety Card (TSC) before working underground on any Crossrail site.

As well as providing essential transport capacity, Crossrail has an important role to play in supporting regeneration and the economy. Ensuring that job opportunities are made available to Londoners - and that Londoners have the skills required - is an important part of Crossrail's approach to construction. TUCA will support the UK economy by equipping workers with the specialist skills they need to meet the demand for labour in this area.

TUCA fast facts:

TUCA will start to offer training in Autumn this year.

TUCA is located at Aldersbrook Sidings on the border of Newham and Redbridge; Newham being one of the top 5% most deprived boroughs in England.

TUCA will offer training to at least 3,500 people in underground construction alone over the lifetime of the project.

TUCA will be the only soft-ground tunnelling training facility in Europe. Currently the nearest known tunnelling training centre is the hard-rock training centre Hagerbach in Switzerland.

TUCA will provide the specialist skills needed for Crossrail and other tunnelling and infrastructure projects.

TUCA will operate as an independent, not-for-profit organisation and become a long-term provider of tunnelling and underground construction skills to the construction industry.

The volume of tunnelling and underground construction work taking place in the Capital over the next decade is unprecedented with the Thames Tideway Tunnel, National Grid and EDF electricity cable tunnels all requiring significant numbers of skilled people. Longer term, tunnelling skills will be required for Crossrail 2 and High Speed 2

Investing in tunnelling skills in the UK

Crossrail is overseeing the development of a Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy in Ilfordand will invest up to £7.5m, while £5m in funding has been provided by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills via the Skills Funding Agency. Further sponsorship has been provided by industry and more is pledged.

The Academy will eventually operate as an independent organisation and will become a long-term provider of underground construction skills for other major infrastructure projects. The Academy will also act as the London centre for the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering (NSARE).

The training offered at TUCA will include:

Pre-employment training to help local people access construction jobs;
Tunnel Safety Card (mandatory requirement for Crossrail);
NVQ Level 2 Tunnel Operations (mandatory requirement for Crossrail);
NVQ Level 3 Supervisory Management;
Working at heights and in confined spaces;
Construction Plant Competence Scheme loco driver training;
ConstructionSkills Health and Safety Test;
Sprayed concrete applications;
Laboratory Technician training in materials testing; and
Apprenticeships in a range of tunnelling and construction related occupations.

A dedicated website for the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy - www.tuca.ac.uk - contains further information about TUCA’s training programmes and facilities.