14.01.14
HS2 to get its own college to train engineers
The first new incorporated further education college in more than 20 years is being launched by the government to prepare for HS2.
The new college will “train the next generation of world-class engineers”, the DfT says.
It will deliver specialised training and qualifications specific to HS2, but also aid the delivery of future infrastructure projects across the country.
Business secretary Vince Cable MP said: “HS2 is the biggest infrastructure project that this government is delivering. So it is right that a large scale investment in bricks and mortar should also come with investment in the elite skills which will help build it. That’s why this government is launching the first further education college in over 20 years, which will train the next generation of engineers in rail, construction and environmental studies that this country needs to prosper.”
Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin added: “HS2 will not only help businesses expand, creating employment; it will also give young people opportunities to get new skills, get a job and a career, become more secure and get on in life. When open, it is predicted that HS2 will underpin the delivery of 400,000 jobs.”
The new institution will build relationships with a network of existing affiliated facilities, including colleges, private training providers, HE institutions and major supply networks off-route.
Skills minister Matt Hancock MP, who made the announcement during a visit to the Old Oak Common depot, said the new “elite institution” would focus on rail construction and maintenance. He said it would be vital to the future of rail engineering.
HS2 Chairman David Higgins said: “This country produces some of the best engineers to be found anywhere in the world. The problem is that there aren’t enough of them, and there isn’t a long enough guaranteed work-stream to keep them here. So they tend to go overseas.
“HS2 provides us with a unique chance to address both issues. The sheer length of the project means we can offer people a rewarding career in engineering staying in this country, whilst the multiplicity of skills required means we will be equipping a new generation with experience at the cutting edge of technology.
“So HS2 gives us the chance not just to re-balance the economic geography of the country, but also our national skills base. It is an opportunity we should seize.”
The government said it wants to ensure HS2 will deliver a “tangible skills legacy”, on top of the 2,000 apprentice positions expected to be created during its construction.
The college should be open by 2017, when construction of HS2 will begin. But there is no information yet on where the college will be located.
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