Thirty apprentices visit Wrightbus in Ballymena as major bus partnership delivers skills exchange
Apprentices during their visit to the Wrightbus factory in Ballymena
Thursday 5 November 2026
Thirty apprentices from one of the UK’s largest transport groups have visited Wrightbus in Ballymena to discover how buses are built, as a major partnership between the two companies delivers new opportunities for skills development and training.
The week-long visit brought apprentices from the Go-Ahead Group to the Northern Ireland manufacturing facility, giving them first-hand experience of the engineering, design and production processes behind the vehicles they will eventually maintain and service.
The exchange forms part of a multi-million-pound agreement announced in 2024, under which Wrightbus secured a landmark contract to supply hundreds of buses to Go-Ahead over three years.
As well as supporting manufacturing jobs and the wider UK supply chain, the agreement established a dedicated training and apprenticeships fund to help develop the next generation of skilled transport workers.
From the factory floor to the bus depot
During their visit to Ballymena, the apprentices followed the manufacturing process from start to finish, gaining an understanding of how individual components come together to produce a finished bus.
Their programme included visits to the chassis shop, paintshop, composites and repair centre, alongside sessions exploring production, engineering and planning.
They also learned about route analysis, stress analysis and body planning, providing an insight into the technical work involved in designing vehicles for everyday passenger services.
The exchange has worked in both directions, with Wrightbus employees also spending time at Go-Ahead depots in London and Oxford to learn more about maintaining and servicing buses once they enter operation.
Apprentices discover a different side of the industry
For many of the visiting apprentices, the experience offered their first opportunity to see how the vehicles they work with are manufactured.
Harvey, a second-year engineering apprentice with Go North East, said:
“As a technician, we only usually see these buses when they’re five, 10 or 15 years into their life cycle, so it’s beengreat to see them when they’re brand new and what goes into the quality control at Wrightbus.”
Will, another Go-Ahead Group apprentice, was particularly interested in the technology behind electric buses.
“It’s been really interesting to see every single step that goes into making the vehicles, especially the electric side of it, which I haven’t had much exposure to yet.”
Their experiences highlight the value of connecting manufacturing knowledge with the practical skills needed to keep buses operating throughout their working lives.
Building skills and supporting jobs in Ballymena
Christian Reynolds, Managing Director of Wrightbus, said the exchange was an opportunity to share expertise and strengthen relationships between the manufacturer and the transport operators using its vehicles.
“Apprentices are a key part of our business and our industry, and we were delighted to welcome the teams from Go-Ahead and give them an insight into how we work and the way we are developing buses for the future.
“Wrightbus isn’t just here to build buses - we’re here to develop skills, develop relationships with operators, and ensure that every bus built in the UK helps create jobs throughout the supply chain.”
The partnership also reflects the changing demands on the bus industry as operators move towards cleaner vehicles.
More than 90 per cent of the buses covered by the Go-Ahead agreement will be zero-emission vehicles, making expertise in electric and other zero-emission technologies an increasingly important part of workforce training.
Preparing engineers for the future of public transport
Richard Harrington, Head of Learning and Development at the Go-Ahead Group, said the programme had been shaped by lessons from his own four decades working across the transport industry.
“Having worked within this captivating industry for over 40 years covering a multitude of different roles, I looked back at some of my personal learnings when putting this apprenticeship scheme together.
“Visiting a factory where buses are being built, such as the Wrightbus facility in Ballymena, helps to give an understanding of how and why components are structured in a certain way, and seeing the bare interface between a body, chassis and driveline is an educational opportunity that I wish I had in my earlier years.
“Our apprentices will benefit from the industry's best training throughout, building an engineering workforce with the capabilities to deal with the challenges ahead.”
For Wrightbus, the exchange demonstrates how its Ballymena operation is contributing not only to the production of new buses but also to the development of engineering skills across the wider transport industry.
As more zero-emission vehicles enter service, the knowledge shared between manufacturers and operators will become increasingly valuable, helping apprentices understand both how the latest buses are built and how to keep them running for years to come.
