PRESS RELEASE: 07.12.11

A ground breaking partnership was launched yesterday to help put in place the skilled construction workforce that will be needed to deliver the UK’s New Nuclear Build programme and take full advantage of the employment and investment opportunities the project offers. 

The Memorandum of Understanding between the National Skills Academy for Nuclear and the National Skills Academy for Construction, which is part of CITB-ConstructionSkills, was signed in front of captains of the nuclear industry at a launch event at the Barbican Centre, London. (6 December)

The MoU will see the two National Skills Academies collaborating on strategic skills activities which will be of benefit to their respective industries in the delivering of the new nuclear build agenda safely, to time and to cost.

Announcing the collaboration, Jean Llewellyn OBE, Chief Executive of the National Skills Academy for Nuclear stated that this collaborative approach will deliver to both industries a joined up approach to the skills requirements of the Nuclear New Build agenda. The sharing of information and joint work between the organisations will enable the early identification of emerging priority areas in the areas of nuclear new build providing a huge strategic benefit to both organisations and their respective industries.

One of the main priorities of the MoU will be to ensure the development of the right behaviours and human performance attitudes across the construction workforce by incorporating the relevant nuclear employer agreed standards which will be recorded on the Nuclear Skills Passport which will help to ensure safe operations in an environment that is or will become a nuclear licensed site.

CITB-ConstructionSkills Chief Executive Mark Farrar said that the collaboration would enable more UK construction companies to be supply chain-ready and to be able to demonstrate the ‘world class’ skills, capability, safety culture and behaviours of their workforce to operate in a nuclear context.

Mr Farrar also unveiled the New Nuclear Build Research project, commissioned by CITB-ConstructionSkills, to give a clear picture of the construction workforce requirements for the programme and its possible implications on future training requirements.

The research, which used CITB-ConstructionSkills CSN modelling and EDF Energy data to produce the results, found that up to 17,000 construction workers will be required throughout the build programme while output would peak around £1.5bn a year during the project.

But the analysis found a recent decline in construction employment levels in the areas where the new nuclear builds are planned will mean existing workers will have to be reskilled and upskilled. This could lead to a shortfall of workers with specific skills when two nuclear sites are being built at the same time. 

Mr Farrar added: “The industry needs to ensure that it has the right skills to be able to meet the demands of the nuclear build project. Nuclear represents a big cultural shift in terms of behaviours needed on site. Safety considerations are far more prominent and complex than in other industries and need to be fully understood. Therefore it is vital that UK construction contractors in the bidding run for the New Nuclear Build programme are involved early with us. In striving to develop and prepare the future nuclear workforce we are working to help business succeed and grow.

“We need to appreciate the current strengths and weaknesses of the skills base and promote effective transition planning with employers and trade unions, ensuring that the UK Supply Chain is ready to play its part in the ‘nuclear’ renaissance.”