For many students, mid-August is not always a happy time.
It seems to turn into a seemingly interminable, nail-biting wait to see if A-level and T-level examinations yielded the results they needed to get a place at university or to start a new career.
But three Walsall College students have seen their dreams have come true as they passed their T-level examinations and have booked places on Europe's biggest infrastructure project, HS2.
Jemma Lahert-Cotterill, Finn Watson and Charlotte Gibberson, all aged 18, achieved the required grades in their Construction – Design, Surveying and Planning T-level examinations. They will now join the workforce of Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) in South Warwickshire.
They join 11 other students who, to date, have undertaken degree-level apprenticeships with BBV following completion of their T-Levels.
Backing the Construction – Design, Surveying and Planning T-Level since it was first introduced in 2020, the company has helped attract more young people into the transport infrastructure sector.
Walsall College partnered with BBV in 2020 and now also works with Solihull College, Thomas Telford UTC, Dudley College and Warwickshire College Group. University College Birmingham, Aston University Engineering Academy and Birmingham Metropolitan College will also be forging new partnerships with BBV from the beginning of the new academic year in September.
As part of their assessments, the Walsall College trio completed 45-day placements with BBV, which accounted for 20% of their final grades.
As a result, they will soon be embarking on civil engineer degree-level apprenticeships as well as studying at the University of Wolverhampton.
They will also be working on the HS2 project where the three student-apprentices will help deliver a series of bridges and viaducts along a 12km stretch of the railway, crossing the rivers Leam and Avon as well as Finham Brook and the Grand Union Canal embankment.
Construction of the first phase of the project from London to a new station at Curzon Street in Birmingham is well under way.
Peter Rigby, Balfour Beatty VINCI's Construction Director for the South Warwickshire section of the HS2 route said “We're absolutely delighted to welcome Charlotte, Jemma and Finn to the civil engineering team. The experience they gained during their industry placements gives them a head start and means we can quickly integrate them into the team. The opportunity for personal growth in front of them, working on HS2, will set their careers on a very solid foundation and I look forward to seeing them develop on the project”.
Charlotte, from Sutton Coldfield, said: “I'm really excited to take the next step in my career and begin my degree-level apprenticeship with BBV. For a civil engineer based in the West Midlands, working on HS2 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the perfect reward for all the hard work I put in during my T-Level studies.”
Finn added: “Before my placement with BBV, I wasn't sure which direction to go in. Thankfully, it proved to be a brilliant decision and inspired me to pursue a career in construction. Now I've successfully completed my T Level qualification, I can't wait for the next challenge and to begin my degree apprenticeship in Civil Engineering.”
Jemma, from Birmingham, who was also awarded the Walsall College Student of the Year Award for 2023, said: “I chose to go down the apprenticeship route because the idea of learning and working at the same time really appeals to me. HS2 is an incredible project and I can't think of a better way to continue my development, both personally and professionally.”
