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Nuclear Skills Academy, Bridgwater
Project summary
The South West RDA is supporting the South West Energy Skills
Centre – a specialist nuclear skills training centre at Bridgwater
College. The centre will provide high quality specialist training
facilities in science, engineering and specialist construction to
meet industry standards for a skilled, competent and safe nuclear
workforce.
The centre will support the extensive nuclear power station
decommissioning, operational and new build programmes planned for
the South West at Hinkley Point (Somerset), Berkeley (North Glos)
and Oldbury (South Glos).
Main messages
The new build programme at Hinkley Point C will need 5,000
workers of various skill levels between 2012 and 2020.
There is currently a gap between potential market demand and
supply in skills relevant to the planned increased investment in
nuclear power.
The College will support a sector of potential high productivity
for the region
The Academy will support other skills projects in the region
which are being managed by the South West RDA such as the Talent Retention
programme. This provides re-training for people who have lost
their jobs in technically skilled sectors to enable them to
transfer their skills to new industries, such as nuclear.
The centre will encourage development of science based skills in
schools and universities and will highlight opportunities available
to young people in the nuclear sector.
Facts and figures
The South West RDA is investing £2m.
Other partners include:
- Bridgwater College: £3.6m
- Learning and Skills Council: £2.25m
- Sedgemoor District Council: Provision of land to value of
£85,000
- Magnox South: £200,000 for simulator equipment
- Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
- EDF Energy
The centre will be located at Bridgwater College and is being
led by the college.
Construction is expected to be complete by January 2011.
Case study
The Energy Skills Centre is the South West hub of the National
Skills Academy (NSA) for Nuclear. It will be a Centre of Excellence
of national importance that will provide specialist training
facilities in science, engineering and specialist construction to
meet demanding industry standards.
The Government has decided that nuclear power has an important
role to play in achieving a lower carbon energy mix in the UK and
in combating climate change, and is taking active steps to
encourage construction of new nuclear power stations.
The new build programme at Hinkley Point in Somerset will need
5,000 workers of various skill levels between 2012 and 2020. EDF
has completed an initial skills analysis and estimates that 20 per
cent of the required skills are available locally now. The main
skills need is at Levels 2 and 3 (traditionally GCSE/NVQ and A
Level/BTEC respectively). There will also be a substantial need for
skilled employees at Levels 4, 5 and 6. Investing in this
foundation of skills provides a solid base on which to build routes
to higher level employment and university training in the longer
term.
West Somerset and Sedgemoor face significant challenges in terms
of skills. The Level 4 skilled population is 10 per cent below the
South West average. In West Somerset, Level 3 is 17 per cent below
the South West average and Level 2 is 13 per cent below.
The single greatest barrier to the development of a higher value
service economy is the skills base of the workforce so this project
will have huge benefits for Bridgwater and West Somerset.
However, the impact will have broader significance – both for
the wider region and nationally. For instance, the new energy
sector could benefit because the centre will provide facilities and
training that can also be applied to tidal and wind energy
development.
The RDA’s investment in the Energy Skills Centre complements the
£355,000 it has made into Bridgwater Challenge – a project, led by
Sedgemoor District Council, to create a new vision and strategic
framework for the regeneration of the town. The initiative
identifies the Centre as one of a number of strategic projects
which will act as a catalyst for the town’s transformation.
Conclusion
The RDA provided crucial finance to help get this project off
the ground and it is unlikely that the Learning and Skills Council
would have funded the project without this commitment from the
RDA.
The new centre will double the number of training places in
trades that can be directly employed by the nuclear industry –
science, engineering and construction based subjects.
As the South West hub for National Skills Academy for Nuclear,
the centre will create, develop and promote world class skills and
career pathways to support a sustainable future for the UK nuclear
industry.
Further information
Date case study written: January 2010.
Contact: South West RDA press office by email news.enquiries@southwestrda.org.uk or
telephone 01392 229389