10.03.17
HS2 starts hunt for talented apprentices
The search has now begun for apprentices to work on HS2, as it was reiterated that HS2 Ltd plans to create around 2,000 places for talented young people wanting to break into the rail industry on the high-speed rail project.
Successful applicants will develop skills that are essential to building a career in the industry, and HS2 hopes to bring a diverse range of people into the business by offering candidates both hands-on work experience as well as a recognised qualification to equip them well for the future.
The application process for the scheme opened today for the first 26 level 3-4 vacancies offering opportunities in project planning, project management, project controls and procurement.
Of these apprentices, 20 will be based in HS2’s headquarters in Birmingham while the other six posts will be at the company’s London base.
HS2 will create around 25,000 jobs during construction and an additional 100,000 jobs in the future from the wider economic benefits that the network will bring to the economy.
The start of the apprenticeship scheme is the first step in developing the workforce for HS2 after the rail network was given the green light officially a few weeks ago when it was granted royal assent in Parliament.
Alongside this scheme, the National College for High Speed Rail, the institute dedicated to training the workforce for the high-speed rail network, is set to open in September in Doncaster and at its sister site in Birmingham.
To encourage a wide range of candidates, HS2 Ltd is offering places to anyone with five GCSEs including English and Maths, from school leavers to parents returning to work or anyone looking for a new challenge. Apprentices will start their posts in September 2017.
The opening of the HS2 apprentice scheme comes at the same time as the new appointment of Mark Thurston as HS2’s new CEO, who had built his career from being on the Transport for London apprenticeship scheme.
He said: “My own career path demonstrates that apprenticeships can lead to a rewarding career, and I’m delighted that HS2 is playing its part in creating a talent pool for the future.
“Our commitment to creating 2,000 apprenticeships across the project will play a key role in the development of a highly-skilled workforce in the high speed rail industry.”
The apprenticeship scheme is one example of how HS2 is playing a central role in implementing the government’s Transport Infrastructure Skills Strategy that is aiming to deliver 30,000 apprenticeships in road and rail by 2020, and deliver parity in gender by 2030.
To find out more about the apprenticeship scheme, or to apply for a position, visit the HS2 careers site.
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