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The former managing director of HS2 has been appointed as the new chairman of the National College for High Speed Rail in Birmingham.

The institute, which opened next to Aston University last year, has been set up to train the next generation of engineers to work on rail infrastructure projects including the HS2 high-speed line between London and Birmingham.

Alison Munro led the development of HS2 from its inception in January 2009 to last August, having previously secured the deal on HS1 for the section from London to Ebbsfleet in Kent.

She led on all aspects of HS2 before becoming the managing director of its development where she successfully delivered the º£½ÇÊÓƵ's largest ever hybrid bill and now acts as an adviser on the project and is also a non-executive director at water watchdog Ofwat.

In her new role at the college, Ms Munro will lead on its aim of ensuring the º£½ÇÊÓƵ has the skills to deliver high-speed rail and capitalise on the job opportunities it will bring as well as improving diversity.

Over the next five years, it is estimated businesses in Britain will need 182,000 new engineers every year but the country is currently short of that annual figure by 69,000.

Ms Munro said: "This is an incredibly exciting appointment.

"Having spent most of my professional career developing British infrastructure, I am tremendously excited about developing the skills and careers of the people who build the next generation of British infrastructure.