Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, has made a visit to the headquarters of HS2 to show her support for its Young Adults programme which is designed to provide women who are out of work with the skills they need to start a new career in construction.

The Young Adults programme is being delivered by HS2 in partnership with the independent not-for-profit organisation Women into Construction. The scheme is for women aged 18-30, are unemployed, and live locally, and combines work experience and mentoring with construction safety training.

Over 9,000 people in the West Midlands are employed in the construction of HS2. By investing in bespoke training programmes such as the Young Adults scheme, hundreds of local people who were out of work have been helped into new careers.

During the last four years, 79% of candidates who graduated from the Young Adults programme have either secured employment or progressed into further education or training.

Mrs Phillips is a passionate equalities campaigner. She joined the final session of the programme to inspire the young women before their next career move and encouraged them to seize the opportunities in front of them.

Jess Phillips MP said: “The more we can encourage women and girls to seize opportunities, follow their dreams and build our future, the stronger our country will be for all of us.”

15 women are taking part in this year’s programme, with one of them being Amrutha Puthumana Meleppattu, who lives in Mrs Phillips’ Yardley constituency. She is originally from Kerala in India and joined the scheme as she was struggling to find work in the UK. Amrutha said: “Joining the Young Adults programme has given me a real confidence boost.

“Securing work experience with HS2’s engineering team, and making new connections in the industry, is exactly what I needed to take my career forward.”

Another member of the scheme is Amelia Morris from Stourbridge, who had previously worked in construction, but left the industry as she didn’t feel women were treated equally. Amelia said: “This placement opportunity with HS2 has completely re-ignited my passion and reaffirms why I got into the construction industry in the first place. It’s been an invaluable experience. It’s changed my outlook and set me on track to a prosperous career.”

The programme is being coordinated by Beatriz Ramos Albert, aged 32, from Birmingham, who is HS2 s Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Apprentice. Earlier this month she was recognised as West Midlands Apprentice of the Year at the National Apprenticeship Awards for her commitment to inspiring others. Beatriz said: “Creating training programmes which allow women to step inside and see what we do is a great way of encouraging more new entrants into the sector.

“Female representation is on the increase, and we’re proud that women account for 38% of the workforce here at HS2 Ltd.

“I’m exceptionally proud of all today’s graduates and hope they feel inspired to come and work with us.”

Kath Moore, MBE, Managing Director at Women into Construction commented: “We are delighted that this latest programme has supported another 15 young women to explore the world of construction, building their confidence and aspirations to join our sector. We look forward to continuing to support them all on their Journeys into Construction and would like to thank HS2 for their support in this long-standing partnership.”