HS2 offers free construction training course for unemployed along line of route including in Warwickshire

EKFB joint venture, HS2’s construction partner for the 80km section of the railway between the Chilterns and Warwickshire, is co-ordinating up to 200 free places on the training programme, thanks to funding awarded by the Construction Industry Training Board’s Construction Skills Fund.

The accredited plant operator training programme, which takes a week to complete, is being delivered in partnership with local training providers, Apple Construction and Buckinghamshire College Group.

Mark Warrilow, Skills Manager for HS2 Ltd said: “We are committed to ensuring that HS2 creates meaningful employment and skills opportunities for local people along the line of the railway, and this is a great example of that.

“With major construction set to begin in earnest this summer, this training course offers candidates that vital first step into roles supporting the construction and delivery of a project that will truly transform Britain’s railways and revitalise local economies”.

The application process for the course is now live and weekly training courses are being offered up until March 2021. One hundred people have already registered to take part and 20 have successfully completed the programme to date.

The free training course is accredited by the Construction Plant Competence Scheme – the industry-standard certification to prove the skills of plant operatives.

The training programme consists of a combination of both practical and theory-based training and will provide applicants with the entry-level skills needed to work on a construction site.

For more information about the free construction training course, or to register for a place visit ekfb.com/training