Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many apprenticeships have been provided to date by HS2 Ltd.

HS2, through both HS2 Ltd and its supply chain, has a target of creating 2,000 apprenticeship opportunities over the lifetime of the project, from a forecast average annual workforce of 11,000 (with a peak of 25,000).

HS2 Ltd itself has to date provided five apprenticeships, though this is in the context that HS2 does not yet have Royal Assent and construction hasn’t yet started. Looking forward, it is anticipated that HS2 Ltd will bring in 36 apprentices a year based on an average workforce of 1,500.

For the companies that will design and construct HS2 there will be requirements to deliver Skills, Employment and Education outcomes, including apprenticeships. In each of the major HS2 Ltd contracts, all bidders are assessed on their ability to deliver on these outcomes through the procurement process. Therefore, as HS2 enters its construction stage in 2017, apprenticeships are expected to increase rapidly.