HS2 are set to offer summer paid placements to undergraduate students based in the Midlands to gain valuable work experience.
Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) HS2’s construction partner is launching the programme to help students gain experience relating to their specialist subject area.
The programme will run for 8 weeks beginning on 4th July 2022 and roles will be based in Birmingham, North and South Warwickshire and Staffordshire.
Opportunities will be available with BBV’s civil engineering, commercial, design, construction, project controls and planning teams.
This follows on from the recent announcement that HS2 reached a landmark milestone on its online jobs board.
HS2 commented on the importance of providing opportunities for young people in the rail industry.
Julie Venn-Morton, HS2’s Skills Manager for the West Midlands said: “HS2’s construction is already supporting over 20,000 jobs.
“We expect around 14,000 more roles will be needed in the months and years ahead.
“[We face] a number of skills challenges in our sector including an ageing workforce.
“[With] a decade of construction works ahead of us as HS2 extends north, it’s imperative that we create meaningful career pathways for the region’s thriving local talent pool.”
BBV already has pre-existing relations with Birmingham City University to ensure the area’s graduates benefit from opportunities with HS2.
By providing 30 undergraduates with the opportunity of a paid summer placement BBV is strengthening this partnership.
BBV spoke on the role programmes like this play in motivating more people to take up careers in rail.
Shilpi Akbar, Head of Stakeholders and Communities at BBV said: “Our undergraduate programme allows students to earn, learn and put their studies into practice.
“[This provides] the best possible start to their professional career.
“We hope the opportunity to play a part in HS2’s construction will inspire the students to consider a career with BBV when they graduate.”
To register an interest in the 2022 summer placement visit the BBV website.
