The construction of the high-speed railway has seen a rise in the number of people working for the project. 

As the building of HS2 reached another milestone in Buckinghamshire this autumn, in the last three months more than 2,300 people have joined HS2 Ltd to create one of biggest infrastructure projects in British history.

Currently almost 30,000 people are working as part of the ‘orange army’ – the signature colour of HS2's work outfits – to build HS2 stations, viaducts, bridges and embankments across 350 sites.

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The CEO of HS2 Ltd Mark Thurston said: “HS2 is delivering growth for the UK economy today. Our contract awards are helping small businesses across the UK to grow and sustain their workforces, and nearly 30,000 people are benefitting from skilled jobs with a long-term future.

“By supporting apprentices and the unemployed into meaningful careers on HS2 we’re creating the next generation of engineers and construction workers, a trend that will continue as our construction programme gathers momentum going North.”

Now HS2 is looking to fill more than 300 vacancies, including in London. 

A total of 217 people who were out of work have taken up jobs with HS2, while HS2’s construction partners offer fast-track training programmes through job centre services that lead to paid work trials and employment in “matter of weeks,” the company said.

HS2 aims to create 2,000 new apprenticeships, and in quarter two recorded 45 new apprentice starters.

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