HS2 has launched a new fast-track construction training programme designed to move unemployed West Midlands residents from pre-employment training into apprenticeships on the project.
For the first time, Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) and Mace Dragados are joining forces on a six-week programme that will provide participants with practical construction skills and the health and safety accreditation required to begin working on site.
Those who successfully complete the course will automatically qualify for an interview for an 18-month Level 2 apprenticeship, creating a direct route from unemployment into work on some of HS2’s biggest West Midlands construction sites.
The initiative comes as the project increasingly focuses on the longer-term skills legacy created by billions of pounds of infrastructure investment across the region.
Direct route from training into HS2 jobs
The programme begins on 28 September at South and City College’s Bordesley Green campus.
It builds on employment programmes already established by BBV, which is constructing the 90km stretch of HS2 between Warwickshire, Birmingham and Staffordshire.
HS2 says 2,273 previously unemployed West Midlands residents have already secured jobs through the project, while 885 people in the region have started apprenticeships.
Nationally, more than 5,700 unemployed people have started careers on HS2 and more than 2,000 people have begun apprenticeships.
Julie Venn Morton, HS2 Ltd’s Senior Skills and Inclusion Manager for the region, said: “We work exceptionally hard to ensure that local residents benefit from career opportunities on HS2, and it’s great to see our construction partners working together to create more new entry-level jobs for local people.
“A project the size and scale of HS2 offers a unique opportunity to upskill the next generation and we’re proud of our achievements to date, with over 2,000 people starting an apprenticeship and over 5,700 unemployed people starting new careers on the programme.”
Apprentices to work on Curzon Street and railway construction
Eight successful candidates will progress to Level 2 apprenticeships with Mace Dragados, joining teams delivering Birmingham Curzon Street station.
A further four apprenticeship opportunities will be available with BBV, working on construction of the new railway through Solihull and Warwickshire.
The programme therefore provides participants with a tangible job opportunity at the end of their initial training rather than simply adding another qualification to their CV.
Beatriz Ramos Albert, Communications, Skills & Social Value Lead at Mace Dragados, said: “Collaboration is essential to maximising the social value we create through HS2, and this programme is a great example of what can be achieved when partners come together with a shared ambition.
“As construction of Curzon Street Station progresses, we continue to create opportunities across our city centre project and supply chain, and initiatives like this help to ensure those opportunities are accessible to local residents.”
Infrastructure investment as a route into the industry
The programme also reflects a wider challenge facing rail and infrastructure: ensuring major projects create a pipeline of people with practical skills that can be retained by the industry long after individual construction programmes finish.
For HS2 contractors, recruiting locally provides an immediate source of labour while creating a workforce with experience of complex, safety-critical infrastructure.
For participants, the combination of initial training, accreditation and a guaranteed apprenticeship interview removes some of the barriers that can prevent people without previous construction experience from entering the sector.
Kam Hundal, Balfour Beatty VINCI’s Skills, Employment and Education Business Partner, said: “We’re creating more new apprenticeship opportunities for local people who are currently out of work, as part of our on-going commitment to leave a lasting skills legacy in the West Midlands.
“Candidates who successfully complete a six-week training programme are guaranteed an interview for these entry-level roles. Along the way, we’ll equip them with the skills and health and safety accreditation they need to start working in construction.”
With major infrastructure programmes competing for skilled workers and an ageing workforce creating longer-term recruitment pressures across rail and construction, initiatives that provide a defined route from unemployment into real project experience have significance beyond HS2 itself.
The longer-term test will be how effectively the skills developed on HS2 can be retained and transferred into the next generation of rail and infrastructure projects, turning today’s construction programme into a workforce legacy for the wider industry.
