BUSINESS NEWS
Training facility wins approval
The Midlands can look forward to a ‘new generation of engineers’ after the £22 million National College for High Speed Rail in Birmingham won planning approval, say regional business leaders. The college will boost job
prospects for a new influx of engineering talent and provide a major shot in the arm for the region’s skills base, said Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce chief executive Paul Faulkner. The three-storey, 5,700 sq
m building will be located on the site of the former Birmingham Science Park off the A4540 Dartmouth Middleway and Lister Street. The facility will contain
workshops, classrooms, a café and office space alongside a car park and external teaching area containing railway tracks, masts and social space. Mr Faulkner said: “It’s
fantastic news to hear that the National College for High Speed Rail has been granted planning permission. “It demonstrates the
growing momentum of the HS2 project and highlights the benefits that HS2 will bring to Greater Birmingham. “The National College will
nurture a new generation of engineers, improving skill levels in the region and supporting job creation.” The college will provide
specialist vocational training for future generations of engineers. In September 2014, the Government announced that the National College for High Speed Rail would be jointly located at two sites, one in Birmingham and a hub in Doncaster.
On track: The first phase of HS2 includes £3 billion worth of cvil engineering projects for the region
It’s full steam ahead for HS2 key developments
BY JON GRIFFIN
grabs in the West Midlands alone this month for the ‘game-changing’ rail line’s first phase. The high-speed rail scheme’s regional
2
director Mike Lyons gave a comprehensive update on the Birmingham to London first phase at a special Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce breakfast event at the Repertory Theatre.
016 will be a crucial ‘year of change’ for HS2 – with £3 billion worth of civil engineering projects up for
Mr Lyons told guests: “We are moving from the development stage into construction and will be recruiting, opening new offices and developing our capabilities. You will see HS2 underway, doing utility works, improving highways and getting key engineering works in place. “We can help rebalance the UK
economy and encourage businesses to
expand from London into the regions. “We have been working hard with
Mike Lyons: HS2’s ‘year of change’
‘The real key to HS2 is how we can help regeneration and develop jobs and skills away from London’
Mr Lyons told guests February 2016 would see two key developments for the scheme – with £7bn of engineering tenders in the pipeline, including £3bn in the West Midlands. And he thanked Greater Birmingham Chambers of
Commerce chief executive Paul Faulkner and Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership chairman Andy Street for their support for the scheme. He said the ‘biggest challenge’ for the first phase
project, scheduled for completion by 2026, would be the parliamentary process, with Royal Assent due by the end of the year and anticipated progress through the House of Lords.
businesses and key stakeholders in this region. It is not just about building a railway – that is the easy
bit. The real key to HS2 is how we can help regeneration and develop jobs and skills away from London.” Mr Lyons said the project would create over 100,000
new or safeguarded jobs and 2,000 apprenticeships, with over 700 businesses in the supply chain. He outlined the imminent ‘big prize’ of civil
engineering contracts. “We will be going out with a formal invitation to
tender for £7 billion of civil engineering work, and £3 billion will be for this region, from Leamington Spa to Birmingham. “This year will be a year of change for HS2 – we have
to get ready for construction. Still our biggest challenge is to make sure that we come out of the parliamentary process, this year, on track… we have the House of Lords to get through… still our biggest risk is getting through the parliamentary process and getting that Royal Assent.”
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12 CHAMBERLINK MARCH 2016
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