A teenager from Bordesley Green has been revealed as HS2’s 2,000th apprentice, as it emerged that the project has now exceeded its original jobs and skills target.
Mohammed Sharif, 19, used to watch HS2 being built from his bedroom window. Now, just two years on, he’s part of the team building the M6 South Viaduct, which will bring HS2 trains from London to Birmingham.
Latest data shows that Mohammed is one of 2,032 people to gain an apprenticeship on Britain’s high-speed rail project – including more than 800 in the West Midlands. The news means that HS2 has surpassed its original target for 2,000 new apprentice starts – helping workers build new careers and delivering a multi-million-pound boost to the economy.
It is the latest milestone to be passed in HS2’s commitment to a lasting skills legacy. In May 2025, HS2 Ltd, the company building the railway, confirmed that it had reached its goal of supporting 5,000 unemployed people into work. Today, HS2 confirmed that this figure has climbed to 5,645, including 2,149 people in the West Midlands who were previously out of work.
This comes as a new report from HS2 Ltd – Mind the Skills Gap – shows that the combination of apprenticeships and workless job starts delivered on the project to date is worth £315 million to the UK economy.
The figure is expected to grow in the years ahead as HS2’s construction progresses from major civil engineering to rail systems installation. This next stage of the project will create even more new career opportunities, ensuring the UK has a pipeline of highly skilled workers that will serve the UK economy for a generation.
Some 33,000 people are currently employed on the project, with around a third of its workforce in the West Midlands region. Additionally, over 3,700 British businesses are engaged in the supply chain, supporting thousands more jobs across the country – underlining the extent to which HS2 is actively supporting the government’s drive to get Britain building and get more people into work.
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “To truly invest in our future we need to invest in our young people, giving them the skills and opportunities they need to land good jobs and get on in life. This is at the heart of my ‘Jobs for Everyone’ programme and my Growth Plan for the region. HS2 offers a unique opportunity for people to not only pursue a rewarding career in the railway industry but also help build the transport infrastructure that will transform our regional economy and change thousands of local lives for the better.”
HS2’s investment in upskilling will deliver legacy benefits for the whole country, spearheading a UK workforce that is ready to build the megaprojects of tomorrow, from nuclear power stations and wind farms to other major transport upgrades.
From the outset however, HS2 Ltd sought to ensure that local communities would benefit. To date, 834 people from the West Midlands have started an apprenticeship on HS2 while 2,149 people have received training and support to help them access new careers on the project.
HS2’s 2,000th apprentice, Mohammed, lives just minutes away from the vast network of viaducts that are being built on the approach to HS2’s new terminus station at Curzon Street. Seeing HS2’s construction from his bedroom window inspired him to explore a career in civil engineering.
Mohammed said: "I knew I wanted to work on HS2, so I applied to BMet college to study for a T-Level in Construction and secured a work placement with HS2’s construction partner, Balfour Beatty VINCI.
“I worked hard at college and put 100% into my placement - and it paid off. When I finished my studies, Balfour Beatty VINCI offered me a civil engineering apprenticeship.
“I used to look out of my bedroom window and see all the work taking place on HS2 – now I’m helping to build it. This project is going to open up so many opportunities for young people like me, I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of it.”
HS2 is now at an advanced stage of a comprehensive reset – putting the programme’s construction in the right sequence and bringing certainty to the railway’s final costs and opening dates. This will ensure HS2 is built as efficiently as possible and for the lowest reasonable cost.
Mark Wild, Chief Executive at HS2 Ltd said: “Hitting the 2,000-apprenticeship milestone is a significant achievement and I’m delighted that local people, along the HS2 route, are the ones benefitting from our investment in future talent.
“Upskilling young people and the unemployed delivers long-term benefits for individuals and the economy. We’re building a pipeline of skilled workers that will support the UK’s growth for a generation.“
To mark National Apprenticeship Week, which launches on Monday, February 9, 2026, HS2 Ltd and its construction partners will be recruiting more new apprentices.
