High-speed rail project HS2 has launched a fresh recruitment drive which will see it take on dozens of new apprentices.
The hunt has begun to coincide with National Apprenticeship Week 2022, with 80 vacancies going live and even more to come in the following weeks.
The transport project already employs 20,000 staff building phase one of the line between London and Birmingham and phase 2a between Birmingham and Crewe.
Last year, it joined up with the long-running Ladder for Greater Birmingham apprenticeship campaign as an employer partner.
HS2 said it was initially recruiting 22 new apprentices, with opportunities in Warwickshire, Birmingham, Milton Keynes and London, while joint venture team Balfour Beatty Vinci, which is leading the construction of the West Midlands section, will be recruiting for 25 apprentices at both construction sites and in offices in the region.
The EKFB and Align joint ventures are also recruiting for 11 and two new apprentices respectively, to work on other sections of the route in the South Midlands and Chilterns.
Apprentices will be working in a broad range of disciplines including cyber security, commercial procurement, supply design, civil engineering, business support and health and safety.
HS2's partnership with the Society of Land Reference and the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure in Birmingham has culminated in the creation of a brand-new Level 4 apprenticeship standard which also launches this week.
It is designed to help tackle the shortage of land referencers within the UK to support major infrastructure projects and will see employers, including Mott McDonald and WSP, team up with the college to provide 20 new recruits with the opportunity to train.
HS2 said its long-term aim was to create 2,000 apprenticeships during the lifespan of the project, with 825 new starters already working on the railway line.
Last month, the bill for phase 2b to extend the railway from Crewe to Manchester was submitted to Parliament, with 17,500 new jobs forecast to be supported.
HS2 chief executive and former apprentice Mark Thurston said: "Reaching the 825-apprentice milestone so early in the project's delivery is a fantastic achievement and a sign of our commitment to ensure that HS2 leaves a lasting skills legacy.
"Our continued investment in future talent is helping to address the UK's skills gap and ensuring we have a highly skilled workforce in place to deliver HS2 and major infrastructure projects of the future."
