Undergraduates offered the chance to join HS2 on summer placement

Credit: HS2

University students who live in the Midlands are being offered the chance to join HS2 on a paid work placement this summer. HS2’s construction partner, Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), is launching a new undergraduate programme to help students gain valuable work experience aligned to their specialist subject area.

The eight-week programme, which begins on 4 July 2022, will include opportunities to join Balfour Beatty VINCI’s civil engineering, commercial, design, construction, project controls and planning teams. Roles will be based in Birmingham, North and South Warwickshire and Staffordshire. The chance to gain hands on experience, supporting the construction of Britain’s new railway, aligns to HS2’s vision to ensure local people are given every opportunity to access training, enhance their skills and secure employment on the project.

“HS2’s construction is already supporting over 20,000 jobs, and we expect around 14,000 more roles will be needed in the months and years ahead,” Julie Venn-Morton, West Midlands Skills Manager for HS2, said. “With a number of skills challenges in our sector including an ageing workforce, and at least a decade of construction works ahead of us as HS2 extends north, it is imperative that we create meaningful career pathways for the region’s thriving local talent pool to access.”

Balfour Beatty VINCI has already established a partnership with Birmingham City University in a bid to ensure that its graduates benefit from career opportunities working on HS2 in their local area.  It is now enhancing that commitment by providing 30 undergraduates, who live or study within a 25-mile radius of the West Midlands conurbation, the opportunity to secure paid employment during their summer break.

“Our undergraduate programme allows students to earn, learn and put their studies into practice, providing the best possible start to their professional career.” Shilpi Akbar, Head of Stakeholders and Communities at Balfour Beatty VINCI, said. “With thousands more roles still to recruit, we hope the opportunity to play a part in HS2’s construction will inspire the students to consider a career with Balfour Beatty VINCI when they graduate.”