£8 million to train the next generation of the nuclear workforce
Business Secretary Vince Cable announces £8 million of funding to train the next generation of nuclear technicians and engineers.
Business Secretary Vince Cable will announce £8 million of funding today (23 September 2014) to train the next generation of nuclear technicians and engineers.
The funding will create hundreds of new apprenticeships and traineeships as part of the Magnox led Nuclear Industrial Partnership.
Funding builds on the government’s Nuclear Industrial Strategy which is aimed at making sure Britain can benefit from the £930 billion being invested in the nuclear industry over the next 2 decades. The construction of new power plants, alone, could create as many as 40,000 new jobs in the UK.
The Business Secretary is making the announcement this morning at the Dungeness plant while on a tour of Kent businesses. Alongside a visit to Magnox, Dr Cable is to meet pupils from the Langton Star Centre, visit manufacturing firms Integrated Technologies and Geku and will preview the Jasmin Vardimon Company’s latest dance production ahead of the company embarking on its world tour.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said:
Today we’ve put our money where our mouth is. Industry has told us they need more skilled workers for the nuclear sector, so this £8 million will help guarantee the next generation of workers. This is part of our work to rebalance the economy, creating jobs across the UK.
Projects to be funded as part of the scheme include:
- 320 apprenticeships – comprising 50 apprenticeships on a new ‘Electrical, Control and Instrumentation’ programme and 270 apprenticeships for nuclear supply chain companies
- 100 traineeships – a traineeship programme for 16 to 19 year olds
- 60 summer school places – an 8 to 10 week programme aimed at engineering undergraduates who have completed two years of study
- 720 STEM workshop places – a 2 day course aimed at school years 10 and 11 to give an insight into engineering construction careers and ways into the industry
- a Labour Market Analysis of the current and future skills needs for the UK nuclear industry – this will include national and regional reports of skills shortages and gaps
The total funding is £8 million, with £4 million from the government Employer Ownership of Skills Pilot. The remainder will come from employer ‘cash match’ plus benefit in-kind contributions. It will help to deliver a high performing workforce, provide industry with the confidence to invest in a nuclear future and assist the supply chain develop the skills and expertise required to compete in the UK and global market for contracts.
Notes to editors:
- The Employer Ownership of Skills Pilot is a £340 million competitive bidding fund that invited employers over 2 rounds to tell government how they would better use public investment, alongside their own to invest in the skills of their current and future workforce. The fund is for England only. It is jointly funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Education (DfE). The project was developed in conjunction with the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES).
- Traineeships prepare young people for their future careers by helping them to become ‘work ready’. They provide the essential work preparation training, maths and English and work experience needed to get an Apprenticeship or other job.
- The government’s long-term plan is to build a strong, more competitive economy and a fairer society. Industrial Strategy gives impetus to the plan for growth by providing businesses, investors and the public with clarity about the long-term direction in which the government wants the economy to travel. The first achievements and future priorities of the industrial strategy have been published and can be found at Industrial strategy: early successes and future priorities.