NDA group showcases skills and innovative expertise in Westminster
The NDA group showcased how it’s using technology, innovation and expert skills to deliver its crucial mission, at the NIA's ‘Nuclear Week in Parliament’.
NDA group apprentices outside Houses of Parliament
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) group showcased how it’s using technology, innovation and expert skills to deliver its crucial mission, at the Nuclear Industry Association’s ‘Nuclear Week in Parliament’.
NDA CEO David Peattie shared his views with those attending, stating that the NDA’s ‘legacy was built on ambitious and transformational technology and innovation’ and that the delivery of the decommissioning mission will be transformed by it.
The NDA estate is one of the most complex, hazardous environments in the world, in many cases requiring first, and last of a kind, engineering and design solutions and a unique and varied range of skills.
At its reception for Parliamentarians, MPs and industry stakeholders, the NDA shared how its investing around £100 million each year in research and development.
This is delivered in collaboration with academia, government and others across the sector, to explore how emerging technologies can deliver sustainable decommissioning more effectively and for less cost to the taxpayer.
Attendees heard how the organisation is collaborating with the defence sector to co-fund solutions and exploit technologies such as advanced robotics, virtual reality, and machine learning, that could revolutionise the ability to access areas unsafe for humans.
The NDA also sponsored the Skills and Apprenticeship Fair, where 12 NDA group apprentices were invited to speak first-hand about how their organisations are developing the next generation of the nuclear decommissioning workforce.
Phoebe Collister, a business admin apprentice representing the NDA, said:
It was great meeting other apprentices across the NDA group and so many people from across the industry, and discovering the huge variety of opportunities.
We spoke to a large number of parliamentarians and MPs, all of whom were genuinely interested in finding out more about not just what we as apprentices do, but what the NDA is doing to successfully complete its mission”.
Jacq Longrigg, NDA group Head of Leadership, Skills, and Talent, who spoke at the Fair said:
The NDA has an enduring commitment to the development of young talent for the nuclear industry – something we take extremely seriously and invest over £45 million a year in.
Providing a wide range of exciting and challenging opportunities for young people is something the nuclear industry does well, alongside developing and supporting our employees so we have the right skills and capability to deliver our mission and leave a positive legacy for future generations.
The NDA is tasked with safely and securely decommissioning the nation’s oldest nuclear sites, removing the burden for future generations.
It’s a programme of work that will last for well over a hundred years so developing a pipeline of future talent is an essential part of delivering this nationally important mission long into the future.
Warrington North MP, Charlotte Nichols who hosted the Skills and Apprenticeship Fair, said:
I’m a big supporter of the nuclear industry, including the decommissioning sector, which is a big employer in my constituency. It offers a great career including the opportunity to tackle ground-breaking work.
I’ve met a number of apprentices over the past few years who work in the decommissioning sector and I’m always struck by their passion for a career in the industry. This event is a real showcase for the future of the nuclear sector.
To find out more about a career within the NDA, including graduate and apprenticeships opportunities, visit:
Working for NDA - Nuclear Decommissioning Authority - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
energus.co.uk/skills-training/apprenticeships/
To find out more about how the NDA is using technology and innovation, view the NDA Innovation strategy - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).