The National Grid and British Energy are both opening training centres as energy providers gear up to tackle skills shortages.
Skills minister David Lammy will open National Grid’s skill development centre in Hertfordshire next week.
This will be the first of two centres offering practical, scenario-led courses for the company’s gas distribution workforce. The other will be in Manchester, and the combined cost will be £5.5m.
Meanwhile, John Beddington, the government’s chief scientific adviser, opened British Energy’s Nuclear Power Academy in Gloucestershire this week.
The £3.5m centre became British Energy’s flagship training facility and will provide staff with courses in nuclear technology and excellence in technical leadership.
The firm hopes the academy will train 2,500 people on more than 80 different courses each year.
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Beddington said: “Nuclear technologies offer us an option to generate sustainable, low-carbon emissions electricity, so clearly have a role to play in our fight to mitigate the effects of climate change.
“Now that the government has invited applications for new nuclear build, initiatives like this will play a crucial role in ensuring that we are able to skill up our workforce to the high level that is required.”
