The firm has also started the fit-out of HS2’s project headquarters at 2 Snow Hill in Birmingham making it a high-speed treble worth around £40m for the firm ahead of civil engineering work contracts being awarded for the project.

The Government revealed it intended to fund an ambitious training programme for HS2 engineers at two newly-built colleges last year.

Now details of the planned engineering education centres have been revealed and Willmott Dixon named as preferred builder for both.

Plans for the National College for High Speed Rail in Doncaster have just been submitted to the local council to construct a 77,000sq ft three-storey building at the Lakeside Campus (above).

Back in Birmingham, plans for a 61,350 sq ft building at Faraday Wharf, at the city’s innovation campus have just gone out to public consultation ahead of a formal application to the city council.

Subject to planning approval, work could begin at both sites by April next year, with the college scheduled to open in September 2017.

As many as 2,000 apprenticeship opportunities will be created by HS2, and there will be around 25,000 people employed during construction.

Willmott Dixon has also secured the fit-out for the project headquarters in Birmingham. This involves a revamp of four floors of 2 Snow Hill amounting at around 100,000 sq ft.

Up to 1,500 jobs are to be created in the city, from construction posts to designers and surveyors from the design to located the project command centre in Birmingham.

Terry Morgan, Chair of the Corporate Board for the National College for High Speed Rail said: “The National College for High Speed Rail will have a major impact on the ability of the UK rail supply industry to develop a suitable and sustainable workforce to deliver HS2 and other infrastructure projects.

“This essential training facility will produce the multi-skilled specialist workforce required to address the industry’s current and future skills needs.”