HS2 has launched a new tunnelling operative career opportunity for workers to join Tunnelcraft, alongside Balfour Beatty VINCI’s (BBV) tunnelling experts to create a significant stretch of Britain’s new railway
With work on the next 3.5-mile tunnel set to begin this year, the new team will operate the giant tunnel boring machine to excavate earth beneath the ground and line the route with segments to form the 3.5-mile twin-bore tunnel.
The tunnelling team has already completed the one-mile bore in Warwickshire and is on track to a breakthrough on the second bore of the tunnel this spring. To prepare for their next mission, around 100 additional roles will be created.
The new tunnelling operative career opportunity is part of HS2’s aim to attract local talent
Julie Venn-Morton, HS2’s Senior Legacy Manager, said: “2023 will be a huge year for construction in the West Midlands, so we’re continuing our drive to attract more local people into new careers on HS2.
“This is a great opportunity for those looking for a career with a difference, which really does open up opportunities to work all over the world once qualified.”
‘Working closely with Tunnelcraft to recruit ten tunnelling operative apprentices’
Neil Johnson, BBV’s Director of Health, Safety, Wellbeing and Tunnels is keen to see more young people from the region stepping forward to join the team. He commented: “We’re working closely with Tunnelcraft to recruit ten ambitious tunnelling operative apprentices who want to learn on the job, while working alongside some of the most experienced people in our industry.
“We’ll invest time and money into training the right candidates, and I’m confident it’s a career move they won’t regret.”
Apprentice candidates will spend eight weeks in a classroom, participating in one-weel blocks working towards their Level Two Tunnelling Operative apprenticeship. The remainder of their journey will be spent onsite with the underground and overground tunnelling operations.
Successful candidates can expect to earn around £150 per day during their apprenticeship, which will last 12-18 months, pending each candidate’s progression.
The programme will enable the qualified candidates to play a part in the ‘world’s greatest infrastructure projects’
Shilpi Akbar, head of stakeholders and communities at BBV, concluded: “Less than three years into our construction programme, we have already created thousands of fantastic career opportunities for local people, and I’m delighted that we can now offer this unique opportunity.
“Tunnelling is a highly skilled and highly coveted career, which enables qualified candidates to play a part in some of the world’s greatest infrastructure projects. We are an incubator for talent here at BBV, and we look forward to welcoming and developing ten new recruits on this exciting mission.”
