A NEW £30m apprenticeship scheme set up to provide training for Network Rail engineers has been launched at HMS Sultan in Gosport.

The firm has invested the huge sum for their future trainees in a bid to allow their recruits to benefit from the expertise of Royal Navy engineers in top naval training facilities.

As part of the investment, the company has also spent £2m on refurbishing living accommodation, kitchens and classrooms on the base that will be used by as many as 1,000 17 to 19-year-old trainees by the year 2010.

On finishing their training, apprentices are promised a job within the Network Rail's maintenance department.

For some this could lead to the chance of work on some of the biggest engineering projects in the country.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: "We have chosen to use the spare capacity within HMS Sultan because it uses some of the best engineering facilities and has some of the best expertise in the world. It's really exciting and we will be recruiting new trainees over the coming weeks."