THE TUNNELLING AND UNDERGROUND Construction Academy (TUCA) was set up by Crossrail Limited to bridge the skills gaps it knew it would encounter along the way. But while the Crossrail project itself is nearing its conclusion, there is still plenty of life in its training academy. The GBP 13M (USD 16.9M) academy in llford, east London, was part-funded by a GBP 5M (USD 6.5M) grant from the Skills Funding Agency and by sponsorship from major contractors and opened its doors in September 2011. This first incarnation followed Crossrail's in-depth skills forecasting exercise, which looked at both the demand for and the availability of the expertise required to deliver the whole project. The forecast flagged up some skills gaps in the first phase of the project - the tunnel construction itself.
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