Apprenticeships have largely gone out of fashion despite a number of initiatives to revive them, but the rail industry in general and High Speed 2 and its contractors are bucking that trend. Over the lifetime of the project, 2,000 apprenticeships will be created – and those who pass are likely to gain permanent jobs on the project.
One of them is 22-yearold Joab Littlefield, a project management apprentice working for High Speed 2 on the Align Joint Venture integrated project team. After completing his A-Levels, he worked for two years at a freight forwarding company, but decided he wanted a job where every day was different and with the chance to meet new people. ‘I applied for High Speed 2 aged 20 because it was a huge project and I thought that if I could get some experience in project management, I could build a career out of it. Since I started, I’ve gained a clear view of the career I want, and I couldn’t be happier.’
