Flannery Plant Hire has teamed up with HS2's construction partner EKFB (a team made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall), to create a new training centre that can upskill local people ready for jobs on HS2 in as little as two weeks.

The purpose-built Operator Skills Hub, which has opened its doors and is already training over 100 new recruits, includes a 16 seat classroom, three indoor plant simulators and a four-acre outdoor space for practical training and assessments. It has been built on HS2's A422 Brackley Road compound in Westbury to enable trainees to see exactly how the skills they develop can be put straight into use supporting HS2’s construction.

Flannery Plant Hire secured funding from the Department for Education to deliver a broad range of training programmes, including its two-week 'Skills Bootcamp' in plant operations, which is free to local residents over the age of 19. The two-week programme provides all the training and accreditation needed to start work as a plant operator and is designed to support those most in need, or who are looking for a career change, to develop new skills and secure employment in record time.

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Recognising the crucial role that the Operator Skills Hub will play in upskilling the next generation and supporting Bucks residents into employment, the region's Skills Advisory Panel has supported the Hub by providing funding for a complementary mobile training centre.

Furnished to a high spec, including classroom space and its own plant training simulator, the mobile centre will be used to engage job seekers at local careers fares as well as providing a vital link into schools and colleges to demonstrate the local training and careers opportunities available.

The Operator Skills Hub will also deliver 12-month Trailblazer apprenticeships, which provide candidates with the skills and certification needed to operate four different types of plant machinery. Upskilling opportunities are also available, which ensures the Hub is accessible to anyone in the local area who wants to progress or start a new career in plant operations.

EKFB estimates it will need thousands of skilled plant operatives to deliver its programme of work on the 80km section of the new high speed railway between the Chiltern Tunnel and Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire.