Helen Whately MP and Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury visited our Operator Skills Hub in Birmingham as part of National Apprenticeship Week.

Helen toured the facility and met a number of our operators and apprentices and also spent time using the state-of-the-art training simulators.

The Operator Skills Hub is a 50:50 joint venture between our Plant & Fleet team and Flannery Plant Hire launched in February 2021 and offers training programmes to inspire young people and upskill current plant operators.

With the construction and infrastructure industry facing a skills shortage, the Operator Skills Hub aims to encourage new entrants and improve the diversity of the construction and infrastructure sector, by providing operators with the knowledge to deliver modern, digitally enabled projects.

Andy Ormerod, Managing Director of Plant & Fleet, said: “The Operator Skills Hub is truly one-of-a-kind; a state-of-the-art facility that not only harnesses the spirit of collaboration but embodies Balfour Beatty’s commitment to develop our own future diverse workforce, and inspire the next generation of highly competent and digitally capable Plant Operators.

“As we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, it was a pleasure to welcome Helen Whately MP, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury to the Hub, to see first-hand our pioneering approach to combatting the construction and infrastructure industry’s skills shortage and to showcase the range of exciting opportunities available for young people.”