The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

 

As part of the NDA's Skills and Capability Strategy, the NDA works with partner organisations to support educational facilities, providing both expertise and funding assistance. The aim is to encourage the development of skills at a range of different levels.

Cumbria

A notable early achievement associated with the Skills Strategy has been the establishment of Energus, a vocational centre of excellence for nuclear engineering in West Cumbria.

Energus is also the northwest flagship for the National Skills Academy for Nuclear (NSAN), as well as home to the first presence of the University of Cumbria in the western part of the county.

With £5 million of NDA support and £15 million from other sources, Energus is now fully operational, while further plans are under way for a joint facility with the University of Manchester on the Westlakes Science Park, near Whitehaven, for research and development and higher level skills in specialist nuclear areas.

Wales

Similar moves are under way in North West Wales where a number of funding and support organisations have established the Energy Island Programme that will put the region at the forefront of low-carbon energy developments and learning facilities.

The Isle of Anglesey County Council 's vision, shared by a range of stakeholders including the UK Government's Department for Energy and Climate Change and the Welsh Assembly Government, aims to establish the area as a world-renowned centre for low-carbon energy production, servicing and demonstration. Energy efficiency, low-carbon energy developments, nuclear decommissioning, supply chain development, infrastructure enhancement, skills and education development are all important elements of the programme.

To help realise the vision, a £6 million construction programme is under way for a new energy fabrication and skills centre at Coleg Menai, Llangefni, the major further education college serving Anglesey and North West Wales. Supported by a £1.5 million contribution from the NDA, the centre will enable the development of a range of high-quality skills needed to support the local economy in the years ahead.

A collaboration agreement between key stakeholders is currently in the process of being finalised to take this major work programme forward and is due to be signed in September 2010.

South West England

A major boost has also been delivered to Bridgwater College in the South West of England, where a jointly funded Energy Centre is being built with £450,000 of support from the NDA. 

The £7.8 million Energy Skills Centre will be a first-class learning facility, designed to meet the growing demand for training in science and engineering from local employers. It will provide the location for the South West regional training hub of the National Skills Academy for Nuclear (NSAN). 

The Centre is a key part of plans to deliver the region's economic and skills development objectives. Approximately 60% of the training programme will be dedicated to raising skills in high-technology, knowledge-based industries, while the remaining 40% will support reactor decommissioning and prepare for nuclear new build.

Scotland

And in Scotland the NDA has contributed £2 million towards the provision of an Engineering Skills Centre in Caithness. This state-of-the art facility will be based at the Thurso campus of North Highland College, a partner in the University of the Highlands & Islands Millennium Institute, and will provide high-quality training opportunities for the north of Scotland's science and engineering sector.  

Building work on the £8.95 million project is due to commence very soon. The centre will be equipped with the latest learning technology and equipment ready for opening in time for the 2011-2012 academic year. 

The curriculum at the Caithness Engineering Skills Centre will be aimed at maintaining and upgrading the capabilities of local companies as they participate in nuclear decommissioning and diversify into new opportunities, such as the marine renewables industry which is emerging in the nearby Pentland Firth. 

A key impetus of the project is to retain young people in the area by providing them with first-rate training in their locality. Trainees will also be encouraged to adopt an innovative and entrepreneurial approach that it is hoped will encourage business start-up and contribute to the economic growth of the region.