30 August 2022
HS2 joins West Midlands Jobs and Skills Showcase for Commonwealth Games workers
HS2’s lead construction partner Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) has joined the West Midlands Jobs and Skills Showcase, an event aimed at finding new careers for those involved in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Temporary staff and volunteers who played a key part in the hugely successful sporting event are being encouraged to join HS2. To
4 August 2022
Apprentice Natalia Lagos achieves distinction
Natalia joined VGC in April 2021 as an apprentice Administrator on SCS. Last week, she achieved a distinction in her NVQ level 3 diploma in Business Administration. Natalia had chosen A-Levels in psychology, history, and sociology, but realised that she would prefer a course of study that had a practical application. In April 2021,
1 August 2022
How HS2 is “upskilling the next generation” of female engineers
Three phases of HS2 are now officially underway, with 170 miles of new high-speed railway under construction between London and Crewe. Europe’s biggest infrastructure project has so far supported an enormous 25,000 jobs, but it’s also opened up a world of opportunities for those hoping to break into the industry. According to the HS2
6 July 2022
VGC wins at HS2 Awards
On 4 July 2022, Sean Fitzpatrick, Ciara Pryce, Chris Ryan and Kimberley McGinty were presented with the HS2 Inspiration Award for modern slavery prevention at the House of Commons. The People Legacy Inspiration Awards celebrates the work that the supply chain is doing in equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), skill employment, and education (SEE),
5 July 2022
Civil engineering sector on the up – experts identify positive signs of growth
The last few years have proved enormously challenging for many UK sectors, in the wake of Covid-19 and its hard-hitting economic impact. Civil engineering faced its fair share of setbacks, including the suspension of engineering sites across the country during multiple pandemic lockdowns. This inevitably affected growth, which dropped by a worrying 15% during 2020.
5 July 2022
Work starts on Northamptonshire green landscaping tunnel for HS2
Construction has officially started in Northamptonshire on a green tunnel to minimise HS2’s impact on the surrounding landscape. The ambitious project is the very first of its kind in the UK, with construction works expected to last around three years. During this time, the project is expected to generate and support a number of UK
22 June 2022
SCS Supply Chain Enterprise Academy
On 15 June, VGC hosted the SCS Supply Chain Enterprise Academy at Hazelwood Community Centre for SCS. We welcomed over 50 people from SME’s in the SCS supply chain, delivering sessions on SEE, EDI, leadership and collaboration, our CSR programme, and modern slavery. Andrew Spencer, Head of Procurement & Supply Chain for Skanska, began the
1 June 2022
Thames Tideway Tunnel celebrates engineering feat with special live performance
To mark the completion of tunnelling work on London’s huge new ‘Super Sewer’, the Thames Tideway Tunnel project has hosted a special live music performance over 70 metres underground. The Thames Tideway Tunnel aims to build a major new 25km sewer underneath the river Thames. The capital currently relies on a sewer system that is over
17 May 2022
Help us tackle mental health head on
Construction is an industry that struggles more than most with mental health problems. Research shows that 1 in 4 construction workers contemplate suicide, and male site workers are three times more likely to die by suicide than the average male in the UK. These tragic statistics highlight the need for real change in the construction
16 May 2022
My week of work experience at VGC
Thomas has just completed his week of work experience at our head office in Ruislip. He writes: While I have been at VGC this week I have helped in most of the departments in the company, such as IT, Health and Safety, Labour, Recruitment, Projects and even went on site
6 May 2022
Future of Work in Construction Conference 2022
On 4 May, I attended the ‘Future of Work in Construction’ conference at the ExCeL Centre in London. Mark Thurston, Chief Executive Officer of HS2 opened with a keynote address, ‘building back better and equal.’ He explored the meaning behind the motto, ‘I care, you count, we matter,’ and emphasised that we have a rare
28 April 2022
VGC sends donations to Ukraine
VGC has been fundraising in order to provide urgent supplies to those most affected by the war in Ukraine. This month, we transported goods to 3 charities thanks to the donations of staff and suppliers alike. We received generous donations from staff in our head office in Ruislip as well as Solihull. Alongside this, we
