The HS2 Taskforce advising government on how to maximise return on investment from HS2 is calling for government to make railway engineering and advanced construction skills a national priority.
The taskforce, whose members include Laing O’Rourke chairman Ray O’Rourke, also calls for more detail on how the planned HS2 skills college announced in January will contribute to this by the end of 2014.
The High Speed 2: Get Ready report points out that 10,000 new people will be needed to deliver existing plans for the rail network over the next five years alone, leaving a further challenge to grow the skills to build, maintain and operate HS2.
The taskforce was set up by government in summer 2013 under chairman Lord Deighton, and has toured the country seeking the views of Local Enterprise Partnerships, universities, businesses and community groups.
The report, launched today (Friday), focuses on how HS2 can help rebalance the economy by kick-starting growth and regeneration in cities along the route.
It also recommends a dedicated HS2 Growth Strategy in each region affected, to articulate how HS2 will generate local jobs, growth and regneration. The strategies should be delivered by locally-led bodies to be established by the end of 2014.
And it calls on HS2 Ltd to set up a procurement process that requires suppliers to meet the highest standards in terms of apprenticeships, job creation and skills development – with details on the approach to be published by autumn 2014.
It says the future procurement strategy should require main contractors to use open procurement tools to advertise HS2 opportunities, streamlining the process so there are no barriers for small businesses.
The report’s recommendations also include:
- appointing a minister with responsibility for HS2-related economic growth and regeneration
- developing an HS2 outreach programme by mid 2015 linked to the schools curriculum
- putting strategies in place to ensure HS2 provides access to jobs and training for local people, by linking government, local authorities and Third Sector organisations
In general, the report warns that the public lacks understanding of modern-day engineering, that parents and children do not understand that HS2 will open up opportunities for well-paid careers, and that there’s a persistent and unwarranted belief that vocational learning is “second best”.
Christine Townley, executive director of the Construction Youth Trust, commented: “The Trust fully supports the case for High Speed 2 and is encouraged by the recommendations of the Growth Taskforce Report. However, as the report highlights, government must now act with clear policies which direct funding and resources toward initiatives, both existing and proposed, which can be rapidly deployed to ensure opportunities to grow numbers of people entering the sector are maximised.”
At the Institution of Civil Engineers, director general Nick Baveystock, said: “Lord Deighton is right, HS2 is an ambitious project and one which requires an ambitious, forward-thinking approach. If we are to fully grasp the vast opportunity HS2 presents for engineering skills and job creation, this approach must begin now.
“This of course means prompt preparation of the workforce to deliver the project, but also recognition that many of the advanced technological skills required will also be highly transferable to other sectors. Government must seize this opportunity – using HS2 as a catalyst boost to the UK’s competitiveness in emerging technologies and markets.”
