More than 4,500 people who were out of work have started jobs helping to build Britain’s new high-speed railway, latest figures show.
The latest data from HS2 Ltd shows that 246 people who were previously unemployed joined the project between April and June 2024. To date, the total number of formerly unemployed now working on HS2 has reached 4,504.
In all, more than 31,000 jobs are now supported by HS2, with construction continuing at pace between London and the West Midlands. Numbers include those joining the UK’s biggest infrastructure project via apprenticeships and graduate opportunities, as well as those formerly unemployed people helped back into the workplace.
Among those to have launched a new career on HS2 is Brendan Caswell, from Ludgershall, Wiltshire, who works for VGC Group as part of the supply chain for EKFB – HS2 main works contractor and a joint venture made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall. He previously served in the military as a tank commander before joining EKFB as an Earthworks Supervisor, currently based near Aylesbury.
Brendan said: “I had worked in construction previously before joining the military. I was interested to continue my career in construction after leaving the military and was put in contact with a local labour manager, who found a role for me on EKFB.
“Being a part of such a large infrastructure project is really exciting, especially to know I’m contributing to something that will transform Britain.”
Ajmal Nazir, from Birmingham, was previously an agency worker on a zero-hours contract, working in various schools throughout the local area. Through the National Careers Service, he was signposted to a pre-employment course with Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), HS2’s construction partner for the West Midlands. He is now an Audit Coordinator for BBV.
Ajmal said: “Joining Balfour Beatty VINCI has been a major turning point in my career. It’s opened up new opportunities to develop and learn new skills, which I have grabbed with both hands. Now I can look forward to a career full of possibilities, working on the iconic HS2 project.”
Ajmal’s decision to join BBV has inspired his 18-year-old daughter Faryal to do the same. She is set to follow in her father’s footsteps and joins BBV in September as a Quantity Surveying Apprentice, based in the northern region of BBV’s stretch of the route.
Natalie Penrose, Head of Legacy at HS2 Ltd, commented: “When Royal Assent was granted in 2017, we forecast that we would create 22,000 jobs as part of programme. Our skilled workforce has now surpassed 31,000 and of these 4,500 are people who were out of work are now benefitting from careers helping us to build HS2.
“To achieve this, we continue to work closely with local authorities, employment support services and charities – helping people who want to work but need additional support or training to do so. These collaborative partnerships have led to thousands more jobs being supported across the country in the wider supply chain.”
The latest employment figures, set out in HS2 Ltd’s annual Equality, Diversity and Inclusion report, can be found here.
Image credit: HS2
