SOMERSET NEWS: Building work on £15m National College for Nuclear gets underway

AN IMPORTANT milestone in the journey to an exciting future for Somerset and the wider region was reached on Monday (December 12, 2016) as work to build the southern hub of the Government’s flagship National College for Nuclear near Bridgwater got underway.

In a year that has seen the go-ahead given for the nuclear new build at Hinkley Point C and the establishment of nuclear sector hubs in Somerset and Bristol, the ‘Turning Concept into Reality’ event at Bridgwater and Taunton College’s Cannington Centre attracted widespread interest from industry, community and political stakeholders.

With an estimated £930 billion set to be invested in the nuclear industry worldwide over the next 20 years, the National College aims to train over 7,000 students by 2020 and will support the Government’s ambition to supply 90% of our nuclear workforce from within the UK.

PHOTOS - TOP AND RIGHT: Turf-cutting ceremony for the new Naitonal College for Nuclear being built at Cannington, near Bridgwater.

Funded by £15m from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), with additional finance for the southern hub coming from the Heart of the South West LEP and Bridgwater and Taunton College, it will welcome students from late 2017, focusing on degree apprenticeship programmes designed to deliver highly skilled technicians with an innate understanding of the requirements, behaviours and culture of a licensed nuclear environment.

EDF Energy and Sellafield Ltd will lead industry input into the curriculum, working alongside Bridgwater & Taunton and Lakes Colleges and the Universities of Bristol, Cumbria and the West of England.

Vincent de Rivaz, chief executive of EDF Energy, said: “EDF Energy is proud to be at the heart of the UK’s new National College for Nuclear.

“The National College will play a vital role in developing skills across the industry, underpinning the UK’s nuclear renaissance. The industry needs high quality vocational skills so that we can continue to operate the existing nuclear fleet safely for longer, as well as for taking forward plans for the UK’s first new nuclear power station in a generation.

“The National College for Nuclear will help ensure the UK has the right skills to participate fully in the global nuclear market.”

PHOTO - LEFT: Nuclear expert Professor Tom Scott.

Nuclear expert Professor Tom Scott, from the University of Bristol and the South West Nuclear Hub, addressed guests at the ceremony, highlighting huge technological advances, competition from other sectors and an ageing workforce as the key contributing factors to the current shortage of nuclear-specific skills.

Steve Naylor, head of campus operations and business development at EDF Energy offered a personal insight, saying: “I’ve worked in the nuclear industry for 26 years and it is hugely exciting and diverse, offering a wealth of career opportunities.

“We need to attract good people and we actively engage with schools, colleges and universities to harness the talent they have available.”

Steve Hindley, chairman of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, which has part-funded the project through its Growth Deal, added: “The National College for Nuclear is a real coup for the South West and firmly establishes this area as a national hub for the nuclear industry of the future. This is an ideal project to be part-funded by £3 million from our Growth Deal, which supports projects that benefit the local area and economy.”

After the ground-breaking ceremony Mike Robbins, principal of Bridgwater & Taunton College, thanked BEIS, the Heart of the South West LEP and local MP Ian Liddell-Grainger for their investment and continuing support, as well as county and parish councillors for allowing the construction of the National College’s southern hub in their locality.

He also thanked his colleagues and staff for their tremendous efforts in bringing a concept developed over two years ago to an exciting reality.

If you would like more information about courses at the National College for Nuclear, or are an employer looking for workforce training please contact our Business Development team on 01278 655111 or email info@ncfn.ac.uk or visit www.ncfn.ac.uk.

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