Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), the construction partner of HS2, have begun to expand their fast-track job training programme, to aid local people across the country starting new careers within the rail industry. This expansion will focus on integrating people into new careers within information management.
BBV deliver training programmes at their Skills Academy in Birmingham, where they have successfully trained over 30 people into successful roles within the HS2 project.
To date, the training offered has catered towards ensuring people develop the key skills and accreditation required to transition into jobs working on site supporting HS2’s construction.
Starting from June, BBV will expand its course programme and begin providing training in business administration, digital skills, and coding to enable candidates to progress into a career in information management or document control.
Trainees within the course will look to secure the requisite accreditation in an expected timeframe of just 6-8 weeks, leading on to the candidates securing paid work trials within the programme. Successful candidates that complete the trial will then progress into permanent roles within HS2.
Julie Venn Morton, HS2’s Skills Manager for the West Midlands said:
“Expanding the courses on offer at the Skills Academy will allow us to reach out to an even more diverse range of job seekers who are looking for a new career and the opportunity to work on HS2.
“The chance to retrain, gain new skills and start earning a wage in just 6-8 weeks is a fantastic opportunity, and we hope this will be a stepping stone to help more people in the West Midlands launch their career on HS2.”
The integration of this level of training, being offered from HS2 and BBV, significantly improves the opportunities for local people and provides an outlet for younger applicants to gain vital industry skills. Companies within the rail sector should seek to emulate these protocols wherever possible, as investing into communities across the country will help to ensure the stability of the whole sector.
Training will be delivered on a rolling programme, with the first session scheduled to start on Wednesday, 8 June at BBV’s Skills Academy at South and City College’s Bordesley Green campus.
Shilpi Akbar, Head of Stakeholders and Communities at Balfour Beatty VINCI said:
“We’re looking forward to welcoming more local job seekers to our BBV Skills Academy in Birmingham, which now offers an expanded training programme including business administration, digital skills, and coding.
“These skills are pivotal in the delivery of our HS2 programme, as we continue to equip local people with the right training, so they can pursue a rewarding and varied career in construction.”
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