News on HS2 in Birmingham

A Birmingham-based training provider is among the growing number of West Midlands businesses to win work supporting the delivery of Britain’s new low carbon railway .

Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), our construction partner for the West Midlands, has signed a five-year contract with Aston-based Auctus Management Group (AMG). The £2m contract award will see AMG deliver bespoke induction training programmes for new starters who will support the construction and delivery of the West Midlands section of Britain’s new railway.

When main construction works began in September 2020, BBV confirmed that it expected to be one of the biggest recruiters in the region over the next two years, with around 7,000 skilled jobs required to complete its section of the route. Over 2,000 businesses have won work on the project to date, including over 300 in the West Midlands, with UK-based businesses making up 97% of contracts.

AMG was established in 2012 and currently employs over 150 staff at its Gee Business Centre headquarters. It delivers safety critical training, inductions, assessment and certification solutions to the UK’s rail and construction sectors and has a recognised history of supporting major infrastructure projects. Its group members, RSS Infrastructure and INFRA Skills, have played an integral role in training staff to deliver Hinkley Point C and Midland Metro Alliance.

The five-year contract award from Balfour Beatty VINCI comes at a critical time as businesses across the region strive to recover from the effects of the pandemic. The contract has enabled AMG to create six brand new roles within the team, provide more job certainty for existing staff during the pandemic and plan ahead for the expansion of its induction team. It has benefitted local businesses too, with specialist local suppliers brough in to refurbish its induction suite and install state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment to enhance the overall learning experience.

HS2 Ltd has already awarded around £18bn worth of contracts, with a significant proportion of this value expected to flow out to the wider supply chain. By the end of 2022, it’s estimated this figure will reach around £25bn.

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If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk