Mr Stephenson also unveiled a new plaque at Crewe station which marks the Cheshire town out as one of the most important destinations on the HS2 line.
News of the jobs boost for the region was welcomed by Crewe and Nantwich MP, Dr Kieran Mullan, and Cheshire East Council’s Deputy leader Cllr Craig Browne, who greeted Mr Stephenson at Crewe station, alongside the Managing Director of the West Coast Partnership Development, Caroline Donaldson.
Minister Stephenson said: "HS2 will be a spark for new jobs and economic growth as we build back better from the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I'm delighted to announce that the project is now expected to support thousands more jobs than previously forecast. The section from Birmingham-Crewe alone is due to deliver 6,500 jobs, creating valuable new opportunities and an enduring skills legacy."
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HS2 Ltd published its Skills, Employment and Education Strategy in 2018, setting out its plans to upskill local people in readiness for the 30,000 jobs that the construction of HS2 was at that time forecasted to support. Today, HS2 has released a new report, Building the Skills to Deliver HS2 Phase One and 2a, supported by independent research, which forecasts that the construction of HS2 is now expected to support over 34,000 jobs.
The report puts into context the critical role that HS2 will play in supporting young people and unemployed people back into work after the pandemic. It highlights that HS2’s total workforce for Phase One and 2a is expected to peak at around 26,500 people over the next two years and that there will be a constant labour demand of 23,600–26,500 people from now until 2025/26.
Alongside a commitment to create 2,000 apprenticeships on HS2 – 650 of which have already been created - the labour and skills forecasting data, set out in an accompanying report, shows that job opportunities will be available across a broad range of sectors. HS2’s construction partners are already recruiting for hundreds of roles and jobseekers, particularly those who are out of work, are encouraged to keep checking HS2’s online jobs board, which is updated daily.
