Taking a look from further out now, about the concept of “Commuting to jobs” generally:
The amount of Traffic on our roads, in particular the western stretch of the M25 is a complete joke.
What we’ve got too much of these days - is people commuting to other towns, pure and simple.
It would make more sense to develop and re-generate those areas where there is a high level of unemployment and schools churning out higher-than-the-national-average levels of school levers.
In any case, all this “Apprentice” talk is for naught - if the workplaces doing such apprentice schemes are “in another town” that we all know is bloody expensive for the average 18-21 year old to get to, what with car insurance being as expensive as it is for that age group in particular.
The reason that so many young people work in places like MacDs rather than other “Better job” establishments for “the same money” - is that it’s very likely a local job to where said youngsters actually live.
Anyone without kids commuting for a minimum wage job - is not going to really benefit from the in-work benefits system much as it stands.
The Heathrow expansion involves evicting people from their long standing homes a LOT more than building it on some marsh such as is the Isle of Grain.
Where are those people going to move to? - Pay them handsomely for their “compulsory purchases” and they’ll either move completely out of the area, or may even retire abroad depending on the age involved.
That creates a drain on local workers then.
If some of those residents were things like low-paid pillars of society like Teachers, GPs, etc. then you also get public services disappearing in the area at the local level.
Also, who among the local workforce is actually still looking for work at this point? I would imagine that being an employment agency is a goldmine in the heathrow area as it is - without further expansion needed to keep this goose from laying the golden eggs of “local recruitment demand”…!
Compare that to a dump like Medway where even I find myself having to commute to surrounding towns whilst even working on agency, and of course also for my recently taken full time position.
There’s no income-generating work to speak of in Medway beyond Retail, Recycling, and Retards. (Most people on benefits around here are claiming for that ADHD type nonesense, it seems)
When government talks of “Let’s concentrate on the 3 R’s” - this must have been what they were referring to then. 
Places like Sittingbourne, Dartford, and even Maidstone - got money thrown at them during the Labour years. Not so Medway alas. We’ve got this daft isolated “Medway City Estate” that is a lobster pot for getting in and out of by road, and plenty of firms are already struggling for this poorly-thought-out white elephant of an industrial estate that it is, busy with “Boy Racer” crime by night and all. 
The recently vacated seat of Richmond is now going to be contested apparently by a re-standing Zac Goldsmith as an Independent, only for the Tories to “hand it to him” by not fielding their own new Tory candidate. This comes as a bit of a surprise, bearing in mind a Hatstand wearing a blue rosette would win a comfortable majority for the Tories here, even against Zac “All the poker circuit want to play me” Goldsmith.
Heathrow’s so called ‘curfew’ having long been a token gesture when compared with these examples.On that note don’t let the local airport employment interests propaganda fool anyone as to historic levels of local hatred for Heathrow’s anti social location and its behaviour.Regarding its sense of entitlement to do as it wants regards expansion and resulting imposition of blight.Gatwick’s obvious intentions locally can also be added to that.
. I understand if someone moved to the twigs and Boris built a runway next to them but I’ve less sympathy if you buy your house on the noise footprint of an airport