HS2 secure work for 1400 unemployed

HS2’s latest performance data shows it has supported over 1400 people who were out of work into employment, demonstrating the project’s crucial role in the drive to Build Back Better and equip people with ‘Skills for Life’.

Over 1400 formerly unemployed secure work on HS2: Irfa, Environmental Technician-2

HS2’s success in supporting unemployed people into work is largely driven by the effectiveness of its job brokerage partnership model which launched earlier this year. By bringing together the Department for Work and Pensions, strategic regional and local stakeholders including local authorities, enterprise partnerships, charities and employment support services along the route of the new railway, the job brokerage model has enabled HS2 and its construction partners to engage local people who are looking for work.

Referrals allow individuals, including those at risk of long-term unemployment, to access training and placement opportunities which provide them with the skills they need to transition into jobs supporting HS2’s construction.

Bespoke initiatives led by HS2’s construction partner for the West Midlands, Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), are already paying dividends and thanks to referrals from local partners, 150 people from the region who were out of work have now secured a career in construction in just six months.

BBV is investing heavily in training and work placement programmes which upskill candidates ready for their pipeline of career opportunities.  Through a combination of training and paid work trials it has already recruited 9 Environmental Technicians and 10 General Operatives who were all previously out of work.

A rolling programme of training sessions for the unemployed and those looking to boost their skills and experience is now underway, and those who successfully complete the programme will transition into general operative jobs within BBV’s supply chain.  

Among those to have secured a full-time role is 21-year-old Brady from Chelmsley Wood. Brady had never worked in construction before and recognised that his lack of skills and experience were holding him back. He successfully completed a 20-day customised training programme and gained a series of accreditations which enabled him to progress onto a site-based work trial. The passion and enthusiasm he showed during the trial led to him securing a full-time role as a general operative. He now works as part of a team supporting the construction of HS2 in North Warwickshire. 

Irfa from Birmingham has also benefitted from the free training and paid work trial programme. She’s now employed as an environmental technician and works as part of a team assisting with site inspections and audits to ensure that HS2’s construction works comply with environmental legislation and consents.

The combination of tailored training programmes coupled with paid work placements is proving to be hugely successful, supporting BBV’s drive to ensure that it recruits local people, wherever possible, to drive forward its construction programme.

Shilpi Akbar, Head of Stakeholders and Communities at Balfour Beatty VINCI said:

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