HS2 jobs hub launches to connect local people with major infrastructure careers

A new recruitment hub has opened in west London to help local residents access employment and training opportunities linked to HS2 and one of the UK's largest regeneration projects.

Located inside Acton Jobcentre Plus, the drop-in centre has been created through a partnership between HS2 Ltd and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The facility is designed as a single point of contact for people seeking careers across the HS2 programme and the wider redevelopment surrounding the future Old Oak Common station.

The hub brings together employers, local authorities, the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, Places for London and the National Careers Service to offer advice, recruitment support and access to training.

HS2 says the programme currently supports around 30,000 jobs across the country. More than 2,000 apprenticeshipshave been created to date, while over 5,000 previously unemployed people have been helped into work through the project.

Michael Morley, Director for Jobcentres in London, said the new hub would strengthen collaboration between partners while helping residents—particularly younger people moving from education into employment—take advantage of the opportunities being created by one of Britain's largest infrastructure programmes.

The initiative forms part of HS2's wider commitment to ensuring the economic benefits of the railway are felt by the communities surrounding the route, with Old Oak Common expected to become one of the UK's busiest and most significant transport interchanges once the railway opens.