Chance of a lifetime
HS2 Ltd CEO Mark Thurston on the skills legacy on offer from Europe’s largest infrastructure project.
The £ 55.7 billion construction of High Speed 2 represents a once-in-alifetime opportunity to leave a lasting legacy of skills in the UK. That is the message of HS2 Ltd’s Chief Executive Officer Mark Thurston, whose job it is to help oversee Europe’s largest infrastructure project that will link London to Leeds and Manchester via the West Midlands from 2033.
With enabling works having started in spring 2017, the 16-year construction sequence will require an estimated 25,000 workers in a wide variety of professions to design and build nine major new stations and more than 350 miles of new track, tunnels and bridges.
A further 3,100 permanent jobs are expected to be created in operations and maintenance once HS2’s two phases of construction are complete.
But mobilising a workforce of this scale will have significant challenges, as other major national infrastructure projects threaten to place competing and sizeable demands on the UK supply chain.
These projects include Hinkley Point C nuclear power station and the expansion of Heathrow Airport, and increase the likelihood of an overall skills shortage unless new ways can be found to bring fresh talent into the sector.
Meanwhile, further resources must also be deployed to upskill existing rail sector workers in order to tackle the problems posed to the rail sector by an ageing workforce.
According to Thurston, HS2 Ltd has a number of tools in its armoury to meet these challenges which will be fully outlined when the organisation officially launches its skills strategy in the autumn.
It is expected to show in detail how it will not only help to make the sector more attractive to young people seeking careers, but also how it will support the supply chain to fulfil contractual requirements to expand and create a more diverse workforce that must be adhered to as a condition of working on HS2.
Thurston explains: “There is an estimated shortfall of some 20,000 engineering graduates in the UK, so in order to successfully compete for resources we must do two things. First we need to dispel the preconception that our engineering and infrastructure are outdated, and that rail sector jobs are insecure and low paid, when the reality is that HS2 will generate thousands of highly skilled employment opportunities.
“Second, we need to reach out to people who are underrepresented in our industry by championing equality, diversity and inclusion strategies to promote fair and equal access to the many thousands of employment opportunities generated by HS2.
“After all, HS2 is not just an infrastructure or an economic project but also a social mobility project that will change the way people live their lives right across the country.”
Thurston reveals that HS2 Ltd is already working closely with local and national stakeholders to set new standards in providing equal employment opportunities.
This includes practising a recruitment policy where candidates are selected exclusively on merit, which all contractors will be legally obliged to follow.
“Our first cohort of 25 apprentices at HS2 Ltd went through a blind auditioning recruitment process which removes the CV and application form in the conventional sense and replaces it with a technical assessment which directly feeds into their skills.
“This means that when we shortlist candidates it’s based on ability and nothing else, which has resulted in 44% of our current cohort being female, 36% from BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) backgrounds, and 80% of them being under the age of 30.
“This ensures that there is no prejudice in the selection process and feedback from the apprentices themselves has been very positive because they feel like they have been chosen for their aptitude and no other reason.
“This approach will be rolled out across the entire supply chain and will make investment in skills and behaviour geared towards creating a more diverse workforce a contractual requirement – this isn’t optional!”
Contractors will also be obliged to help local, disadvantaged and underrepresented groups to access apprenticeships and other opportunities.
HS2 Ltd has already put plans in place to aid this process and give the supply chain a helping hand through an innovative partnership with Jobcentre Plus.
Thurston adds: “Right now we’re developing plans for piloting an HS2 jobs brokering service in the West Midlands between ourselves and Jobcentre Plus. As a first step, Jobcentre Plus staff have already based themselves with our enabling contractors to gather vacancy information so jobs can be matched with local unemployed people. Then, in the autumn, we will begin pre-employment training to build up a body of interested jobready candidates.”
According to Thurston, HS2 Ltd has set up a requirement for apprentices to make up 4% of the total workforce after main construction works begin later this year. This equates to 2,000 apprenticeships across the lifetime of the projects, of which 25 have already been filled by HS2 Ltd and a further 75 by the supply chain.
HS2 Ltd will, therefore, continue to provide practical support to the supply chain and will lead an education programme in schools so that a strong pipeline of new talent can be established.
He adds: “Think about it this way – the drivers of the first HS2 trains to go from Leeds to London in 2033 will be making GCSE choices at school right now, and some of the apprentice engineers to work on the final stages of construction could, at this moment, still be in primary school.
“We’re therefore committed to promoting STEM subjects through our education programme at HS2 Ltd, and the work of our supply chain will bring a range of other education and guidance packages. HS2 workshops and ambassadors will go out to schools to share their experiences, but also explain the diversity and range of careers that are available to them.”
Finally, Thurston issues a call to action to the entire supply chain to build on the work
When we shortlist candidates it’ s based on ability and nothing else. Mark Thurston, CEO, HS2 Ltd
already being done by HS2 Ltd and bolster the rail sector’s appeal to young people.
The need for 20,000 additional engineering graduates represents a considerable skills shortfall to overcome, and will require the combined efforts of everyone associated with the HS2 construction project to ensure its success and the future health of the rail supply chain.
He concludes: “HS2 is providing a guaranteed pipeline of work for the next two decades, which should give suppliers the confidence they need to invest in skills and training. This gives us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to leave a lasting skills legacy for this country.
“But it’s more than just an opportunity to train and upskill our current workforce. It is our responsibility to young people to inspire them to take up careers in the transport and construction sector, which offers high-quality employment at the cutting edge of engineering.
“My message to the entire supply chain is to get out there and be ambassadors for our industry - you can show the next generation what an exciting and dynamic career they can have working with us in rail.”