Cumbrian firm building for success after Sellafield contract win
William King Construction to expand training schemes and employ more people after winning contracts with the Programme and Project Partners.
From left to right: Grant Parker, Shawn Ackerlay and Jamie Hetherington from William King Construction
The Cleator Moor company in West Cumbria, with foundations in the housing and building trade, will support the Programme and Project Partners (PPP) over the next 16-years on key decommissioning projects at the Sellafield site.
It becomes the latest small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) to benefit from PPP’s pioneering SME Matchmaker Service.
It has secured a spot on a £12 million framework to support key delivery partner Sir Robert McAlpine delivering groundworks and concrete (civils).
In addition, William King will be starting work on the Sellafield Product and Residue Store Retreatment Plant project, worth approximately £4 million.
It’s the company’s largest project to date and represents a huge boost for itself and west Cumbria’s economy.
John Rossiter, head of supply chain for PPP, said:
I’m delighted William King is the next SME to secure a long-term framework with PPP.
This work will help support its future growth and expansion.
SMEs like William King are vital for us to deliver world class infrastructure and support tangible benefits for the local community.
We’re proud to have businesses like William King and entrepreneurs like Will in our supply chain.
We’re excited to see the business and its commitments to West Cumbria continue to flourish.
Will King, founder and managing director of William King Construction Ltd, said:
Securing long-term contracts and frameworks with PPP enables us to grow our business and continue to employ local people.
We have a great track record of employing local school leavers and supporting them to gain the qualifications and experience to allow them to grow their own careers.
Our involvement with PPP and the longevity this brings will only help us to further increase our offering to the local area over the coming years.
We currently have 6 former apprentices working on PPP projects, which demonstrates that our approach works.
We will continue to employ local people and empower homegrown talent, while retaining the core elements on which our business is built.
William King has built a strong reputation in the nuclear sector after diversifying its products and services to support high hazard reduction.
The security offered by these 2 long-term contracts will enable the business to continue its investment in future talent through its apprenticeship scheme and employment opportunities.
It plans to expand its current training offering and has created a mobile training stations, the Brick Trainer, which can be transported to classrooms, giving young people an insight into what a career in construction could look like.