On International Women in Engineering Day on 23 June 2020, HS2’s Head of Skills, Employment and Education, Kate Myers, is calling for women and young people to play their part in helping to deliver HS2.

With the main construction set to begin in the coming weeks on the Birmingham – London section of the railway, HS2 Ltd – the company building the UK’s new low-carbon, high-speed railway – is saying to women who may be considering a career in engineering that now is the time to get inspired and engage with the team transforming the way passengers will travel in the UK.

Kate Myers, Head of Skills, Employment and Education at HS2 Ltd, explains: “At HS2, we’ve always been focused on addressing the issue of an ageing workforce in railway engineering and construction, a workforce traditionally dominated by men. We’re determined to become a global leader in the sector and export our skills in high speed rail and engineering excellence, and more women and young people is what will take us there.”

She continued: “On Women in Engineering Day 2020, I want to encourage all those budding female engineers, project managers and designers to come and join me on Europe’s most ambitious infrastructure project, and together we can ensure that HS2 leaves a lasting skills legacy, with a culturally diverse and gender-balanced workforce capable of delivering the UK’s future pipeline of engineering projects.”

HS2’s Skills, Employment and Education Strategy ensures that there are pathways in place to engage women and young people every step of the way, from early STEM-focused workshops, to careers fairs, work experience days, apprenticeships and graduate recruitment programmes. There is an ongoing commitment to ensuring that a percentage of HS2’s workforce is made up of apprentices, and the project will create at least 2,000 apprenticeship roles right across the country.