Skills, employment and education (SEE)

Skills, Employment and Education is one of HS2’s seven strategic objectives and is critical in achieving our joint vision of HS2 being a ‘catalyst for growth across Britain’, the vision set out by HS2 aims to help the next generation to develop the skills to not only to build the railway but to deliver the project pipeline for future UK infrastructure projects and to leave a lasting skills legacy for the country. The skills, employment and education team are focused on finding talent within the local community to help us build a world class railway. This includes supporting the most vulnerable within society with the skills and confidence to enter the workforce and the support to upskill and retain within the industry.

Our Return-to-Work Programme

Support available to You

  • Tailored coaching for the duration of the placement
  • Colleague mentoring – wherever possible this will be with someone who has completed the return to work programme

The programme

SCS Railways have partnered with Women Returners and STEM Returners to run the programme. You will be placed in a team where your skills and experience will be valued and utilised. We will provide tailored support to enable you to contribute directly to the project. Our opportunities are available in our offices and sites across London in Euston, North Acton and West Ruislip. We welcome experienced professional men and women who have taken a career break of two years or more to complete our paid return-to-work programme for 12 weeks to six months. At the end of the programme there will be the option to join on a permanent basis.

Who we’re looking for

Our programme opportunities are available across a wide range of disciplines and positions. No previous construction or infrastructure experience is necessarily required. You can read more about people who have successfully completed the programme here. We are especially keen to hear from people with construction, infrastructure or major projects experience. We understand the need for flexible working and welcome a conversation to explore what is possible for the role. To find out more please contact [email protected]

How to apply

All positions will be advertised via our careers site. Our partners, Women Returners and STEM Returners, will also host the opportunities.

Young talent

Over the lifetime of the project SCS along with our supply chain partners will be taking on over 450 apprentices that will take up many different roles across the project from site operatives through to commercial and civil engineering, each with a unique development plan that will plan out a career not only on the HS2 works but for the wider industry ensuring our apprentices have the best start to their career in construction.

Graduates are also a key pipeline of young talent for SCS and we are aiming to give over 150 opportunities to young graduates who have been unable to find a placement in the industry of their choice to join us and build a career on HS2.

Developing our future talent

The length of the HS2 works puts us in a unique position where we can work with schools for an extended period of time, this enables us to support school children through their educational journey from primary through to secondary school. We will deliver STEM related school activities, CV workshops, work placements and mentoring to help guide their educational choices and to promote the exciting career paths within construction. Become a STEM Ambassador and support the construction agenda in our local schools as well as delivering SEE targets for your area.

Working with our local communities

Our worksites span across seven boroughs and we aim to work at the heart of all of those communities to provide opportunities for local people to access jobs with us, we aim to remove the barriers to work and support those most in need to gain employment.  We will be providing over 550 jobs for those that are currently unemployed, including the most vulnerable amongst us.  We will work with local charities and partners to offer placements and employments on initiatives such as:

  • Women returner programmes
  • Homeless employment scheme
  • Care leavers placement into employment scheme
  • Survivors of modern slavery placements
  • Disability placements

Attracting local people into our workforce or people wanting to return to work after a break is a key way of bridging our skills gap and ensuring we have the right people with the right skills to deliver the project.

Leaving a community legacy of economic growth and jobs

Being a good neighbour is one aspect of delivering a successful project, by working hand in hand with the community to ensure we deliver a lasting and sustainable legacy will be key to our success and will ensure our workforce mirrors the communities we work within, supporting our diversity aims and vision for a truly diverse and inclusive culture and workplace.

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“I am really happy to continue developing my career at SCS” After having her daughter, Anne had a short career break where she studied part-time. Her qualifications and experience in finance were put to use when she joined our Return to Work programme in 2019. Since completing her placement Anne has joined our Mirror Leadership Team to support her career progression.

AnneSenior Reporting Engineer
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“I was waiting for the right job especially because I have young kids… flexible hours were important to me and being able to work part-time meant that my husband and I could manage the school runs” Fabiana worked in her native Brazil as a barrister for three years after studying for her degree in law and passing her Bar exam. Through the Return to Work programme, she started off in an administrator’s role with our Business Improvement and Collaboration teams working four hours a day, three days a week. And while flexibility from us has been key for her, she has also been adaptable within her role, having moved to the Health, Safety and Wellbeing department after her placement finished.

FabianaHealth, Safety and Wellbeing Administrator
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“The Return to Work programme was an important factor for me to return to work. When you spend significant time away from work, confidence is a key factor. To those thinking about joining the scheme, I would say ‘never give up, you can do it, and you will be surrounded by people willing to help’ “ Lucia is a qualified engineer and completed her Masters in Business Management Systems. Once her younger daughter was of an age where she could get back to work, Lucia looked for a role with the support of a return to work placement to help her re-gain her confidence. Her role now involves developing, implementing and maintaining our quality management and business systems.

LuciaBusiness Systems and Audit Manager

Fast Track for Britain’s future