Balfour Beatty VINCI, HS2’s construction partner for the West Midlands, is offering a paid placement scheme this summer that will boost career prospects for university students.
Thirty two students from 12 universities – including the University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University, Aston University and Coventry University – have secured places on the eight-week programme, supporting the construction of Britain’s new high-speed railway.
Now in its third year, the Balfour Beatty VINCI undergraduate summer scheme gives students who live or study in the West Midlands the chance to earn and gain valuable work experience in a specialist subject area during the holidays.
The 2024 programme includes a series of placement opportunities at Balfour Beatty VINCI construction sites and offices across south Staffordshire, Birmingham and Warwickshire. Places have been secured by students studying a broad range of subjects, including civil engineering, quantity surveying and design engineering.
With the programme extended to those who permanently live in the Midlands, undergraduates studying at universities in Liverpool, Leeds, Nottingham and Cardiff are also taking part in this year’s scheme.
Naomi Bates, Skills, Education and Employment Business Partner at Balfour Beatty VINCI who leads the programme said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming our next cohort of students this summer, who are joining us on an eight-week placement to learn new skills and get some invaluable work experience during the holidays.
“This paid programme is now in its third year and has been extremely successful in supporting university students either living or studying locally. It’s a great pathway for students who want to progress onto graduate programmes with Balfour Beatty and VINCI, once they’ve completed their studies.”
Julie Venn-Morton, HS2’s Senior Legacy Manager for the region, said: “At HS2, we’re committed to upskilling Britain by creating new jobs and boosting career prospects for people right across the country, including here in the West Midlands.
“For these students, a summer job working on HS2 is a perfect opportunity to earn while being part of a world-leading infrastructure project. We are thrilled to welcome them all and look forward to hearing about their experience at the end of programme.”
This year’s cohort also includes students studying finance, IT and environmental sustainability – demonstrating the broad range of careers that transport infrastructure projects encompass.
Catherine Purcell, 21 and from Kings Norton, is studying Civil Engineering at the University of Nottingham, said: “I’m really excited to join Balfour Beatty VINCI’s summer placement programme and learn as much as I can during the next eight weeks. It’s a huge opportunity to learn how BBV is helping to build HS2 in the Midlands.”
Andreas Edwards, 26 and from Stourbridge, is studying Quantity Surveying at Aston University. He said: “I was previously unemployed before joining BBV on a pre-employment training programme. My short time with BBV inspired me to pursue a career in the construction industry and I haven’t looked back since.
“I’m now studying at university to become a qualified quantity surveyor and this placement will help me to deepen my understanding of the role in a real-life environment.”
As construction continues at pace between the West Midlands and London, HS2 is now supporting more than 31,000 jobs – including through apprenticeships, graduate opportunities and by helping people into employment.
When complete, HS2 will improve connections between London and the West Midlands, with trains running further north on existing lines. This new high-speed railway will create quicker and far more reliable journeys, driving economic growth while crucially freeing up space for more local trains on the most congested part of the existing West Coast Main Line.
