25 September 2007
Head Office of the National Skills Academy for Nuclear to be
Located in Cumbria
West Cumbria has been chosen as the location for the Head office
of the newly announced National Skills Academy for Nuclear.
This decision was made by an employer-led shadow board during the
business planning phase of the Skills Academy. Premises
are currently being sourced.
The Skills Minister, David Lammy, announced the Government
approval of the nuclear employer-led proposal for the creation of a
National Skills Academy for Nuclear on the 24th September
2007. The Skills Academy is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Cogent, the Sector Skills Council for the chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymer
industries.
The Skills Academy will assist Nuclear employers in tackling the
current and future skills barriers and challenges facing the
Nuclear industry not just in relation to the Government’s £65bn
clean up programme but also for waste management, defence, fuel
processing and enrichment, power production and to ensure the
sector has the skills and additional resources available for
potential new build.
From its head office in West Cumbria, the Skills Academy will
operate via a network of Regional Training Clusters throughout the
UK, developing and accrediting local high quality provision, and
creating “centres of excellence” for the delivery of nuclear
specialised training, enhanced where appropriate to respond to
specific skills gaps as identified by employers. First
courses will start in early 2008.
The Northwest is at the heart of the nation’s nuclear energy
sector with sites at Sellafield, Springfield, Heysham and
Capenhurst which are supported by an extensive supply chain of
around 300 Northwest companies. Approximately 23,000 people
are employed by the nuclear sector in the Northwest, which accounts
for 50% of the Nuclear skills base.
In a separate development, the building of the flagship training
centre of the National Skills Academy in West Cumbria commenced in
March this year. An independently incorporated company, The
Nuclear Academy is a collaboration between partners the Northwest
Regional Development Agency (NWDA), the Nuclear Decommissioning
Authority (NDA), West Lakes Renaissance, British Nuclear Group and
the National Skills Academy for Nuclear. The facility will be a
dedicated centre of excellence and innovation that will provide a
wide range of education and training facilities to the nuclear
sector, alongside business support services.
Jean Llewellyn Project Director of the National Skills Academy
Nuclear said:
“I am delighted that the National Skills Academy for Nuclear
business plan has received formal approval from government and the
LSC. I am now looking forward to working with employers, unions and
other partners to turn this exciting and challenging business plan
into a reality. This is a huge achievement for the Northwest, the
region has spearheaded the drive for the Academy over several years
and its success reflects the support and commitment of the NWDA,
NDA and employers in the region to forge ahead with this difficult,
but very important challenge.”
Mark Hughes, Executive Director of Enterprise and Skills for the
NWDA said:
“The Northwest has unique strengths and skills in nuclear power
generation with around 23,000 people employed in the sector
representing about half the total UK employment. The Academy will
help to identify and improve standards and training throughout
nuclear industries across the UK and we are delighted that Cumbria
will be the lead location for the National Skills Academy for
Nuclear and high quality Nuclear skills provision.”
Dr Ian Hudson, Head of Technology and Skills, Nuclear
Decommissioning Authority said:
“With this announcement we are now able to move forward with the
delivery of a training infrastructure on a UK-wide basis to enable
us to put in place world-class skills that meet our decommissioning
and clean-up mission. The decision to locate the national centre in
West Cumbria reflects the key role the industry plays in the area
and the commitment to regeneration.”
Employer & Partner Support
Employers and partners who have already provided financial
support to the National Skills Academy include BNFL, Fluor
Ltd, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, NWDA, Serco, UKAEA
and Washington Group International.
The Skills Academy Shadow Board has representatives from
multinational organisations, large employers and SME including
AMEC, BNFL, British Energy, British Nuclear Group, Centronic,
Doosan Babcock, Fluor Ltd, MOD, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority,
Prospect, Serco and UKAEA.
-Ends-
Notes to editors
1. The National Skills Academy network will be the new gold
standard for industry training, aiming to improve productivity and
tackle skills shortages across England. Each National Skills
Academy puts employers at the heart of skills training for their
sector: they influence the curriculum to ensure it reflects
employers’ needs; get involved in the Academy’s management; set
standards and influence strategic direction.
National Skills Academies aim to:
• deliver high quality training for a specific sector
• provide first-class teaching in a modern learning
environment
• be centres of innovation and creativity in skills
development for their sector
• be flexible, sustaining the closest possible relationships
with employers of all sizes
• build specialist networks with a range of other learning
providers, so that new thinking, new
methods and higher standards are shared, to the benefit of learners
and employers.
The National Skills Academy network was initiated by the Government
to address the need for a world class workforce with better skills
than ever before. It is managed by the Learning and Skills Council
working in partnership with the Department for Education and
Skills, the Sector Skills Development Agency and the Department of
Trade and Industry.
For more information see: www.nationalskillsacademy.co.uk
2. The Nuclear Academy is a brand new facility to be built on
the Lilyhall Industrial Estate in West Cumbria. The facility will
be a dedicated centre of excellence and innovation. It will provide
a wide range of education and training facilities alongside
business supports service.
Additional press and media enquiries should be made in the first
instance to Mary Kinsella, Communications Officer, National Skills
Academy for Nuclear m.kinsella@nuclear.nsacademy.co.uk
or 01925 607044