A MASSIVE rail infrastructure project should be used to put local young people on the fast track to employment, Bolton West MP Julie Hilling has said.

The Government recently announced details of the building of high speed rail (HS2) routes in Britain, and Ms Hilling has backed Labour leader Ed Miliband’s call for 33,000 apprenticeships to be created as part of the scheme. She said: “When money is tight and the Government is spending billions on projects like HS2, then it really shouldn’t be too much to insist that the Government also invests in our young people.

“The building of HS2 is a chance to create a new generation of skilled British workers, rather than just waste the talent of those growing up wondering if they will ever get a decent job.” She added: “It’s not enough to just build a new route between London and Manchester. Local young people should not have to move across the country to where the new train lines are being built, so we need to give all young people everywhere a route to their futures and that starts in local schools and colleges.”