📋 Tender Overview
An aspiring engineer from Nigeria is climbing the career ladder and helping to build Britains new railway after being handed a one-off opportunity by Bachy Soletanche a specialist geotechnics contractor working on HS2 with Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering.In just one year 29-year-old Osaro Okuonghae who lives in Birmingham during the week and Peckham at weekends fast-tracked from cleaning the welfare accommodation units at HS2s Old Oak Common Station to working as a site engineer helping to build the new transport superhub.Two years ago Osaro made the bold decision to leave Nigeria and progress his studies in the UK. The cost of living in the capital combined with studying for a masters in Civil Engineering at the University of East London soon took its toll and Osaro took a part-time job as a cleaner. By chance he was placed at Old Oak Common where he soon made friends with the on site engineers.His passion for civil engineering shone through as he quizzed the engineering team about the construction works underway. Noting that he was keen to progress qualified and in need of a lucky break the sites project manager asked for his CV. Weeks later Osaro was invited to interview for a vacancy in the engineering team.One year on and Osaro is now a valued member of the orange army helping to build HS2. Having successfully completed his masters degree he spent nine months working with the team at Old Oak Common and has since transferred to join the team building HS2 in the West Midlands.Speaking about his lucky break and the chance to work on Europes biggest infrastructure project Osaro saidThe support I have received from the entire team is just amazing and Im incredibly grateful that they saw potential in me and gave me this opportunity.Ive been able to put my studies into practice and the training Ive received means Ive been able to get hand-on in so many different aspects of HS2s construction from quality assurance piling and constructing diaphragm walls. Everyone at Bachy Soletanche and Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA has helped me on this journey and Im so proud to be playing a part in building HS2 in London and the West Midlands.Vincent Leblois Project Director for Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering SB3 saidWere very fortunate to have had Osaro on our team and its been great to see how much he has progressed throughout his time working at Old Oak Common. With his positive attitude and willingness to learn and take on new challenges Osaro has been an asset to our team and he has shown great potential.Its fantastic that with the support of HS2 we are able to offer such important opportunities to aspiring engineers like Osaro and help them lay the foundations for a successful career.HS2s workforce has now reached almost 30000 and with two decades of construction works ahead as the HS2 network extends North there will be thousands more opportunities for people to play their part.There are currently over 170 live vacancies with HS2s construction partners and contractors working on their behalf.
