Mace joins Birmingham council in making construction jobs pledge

Mace and Birmingham council have pledged to open up job and training opportunities for local people involved in the redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station.

The £600m project, the biggest in the West Midlands, will create up to 1,000 jobs during construction and is being built by Network Rail and delivery partner Mace.

The pledge came as Mace director Richard Thorpe and councillor Mike Whitby, leader of Birmingham council, formally opened the Birmingham Gateway Construction Academy on Tuesday. The academy will provide a dedicated training and resource facility which will aim to maximise skills opportunities and help secure employment for local people.

Thorpe said: “This is an exciting opportunity to showcase what the construction industry has to offer in terms of employment, training and skills development on such a high profile and complex project in the heart of the Birmingham community. The academy embodies the whole principle of our investment in local people and our need in the business for highly skilled managers and workers for the future.”

Whitby said: “The redevelopment of New Street station is an integral part of our Big City Plan to attract jobs and investment to the city. The new John Lewis store will create 650 new jobs but before we get there, we expect around 1,000 people to be involved in the construction of the new station. Today’s announcement represents an important commitment from Birmingham City Council, Network Rail and Mace to open up those opportunities to the people of Birmingham and the West Midlands.”