The HS2 college which will train at least 2,000 apprentices for the planned new high speed rail link will be based partly in Doncaster and partly in Birmingham, David Cameron has announced.

The Prime Minister said the college will open in 2017 and provide workers for the "vital piece of infrastructure work".

He made the announcement alongside Chancellor George Osborne while on a visit to the redevelopment site of Birmingham New Street station.

Mr Cameron said: "We're announcing that the HS2 college, which is going to provide the skills and the training for this, the biggest engineering and construction project that we've undertaken in Britain for decades, which is going to link up our cities including Birmingham of course.

"The HS2 college is going to be located partly in Doncaster but also partly here in Birmingham.

"It will open in 2017 and it's great to see 100 apprentices on site here. This HS2 college will train at least 2,000 apprentices for this absolutely vital piece of infrastructure work."

Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne were addressing a group of construction, engineering and demolition apprentices at the site of the £750 million redevelopment at New Street rail station.

The Chancellor said: "The good news for you and the good news for people in the construction business is that more projects like this coming.

"High Speed 2 is going to be an incredible project, it's going to employ people for years to come.

"We want to make sure we are also bringing on the next generation and that's what the HS2 skills college is going to be all about - giving the next generation the kind of skills that you have, making sure that we have a pipeline of work in the future and a supply of people who have got the right skills in the country to do that."

Construction on the controversial £40 billion High Speed 2 rail project is set to begin in 2017 with phase one connecting Birmingham to London set to open in 2026.

The second phase connecting to Manchester and Leeds is set to open in 2032/3. The legislation to enable the project to go ahead is making its way through Parliament. 

Source: Press Association Ltd