New National Skills Academy for Nuclear Strengthens Network

24 September 2007: Skills Minister, David Lammy today announced the approval of a new National Skills Academy for the Nuclear sector which will improve the standard of industry training, increase productivity and tackle skills shortages across England.

The training will be delivered through a network of approved Academy Centres, each contributing by its particular specialist area of expertise. The first five training centres have been announced and more will be added as the Academy expands.

With the business planning stage successfully completed, the National Skills Academy for Nuclear will be opening its doors to learners in January 2008.

A National Skills Academy is vital for the nuclear industry as the challenges of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority programme and possible future needs of the sector will add to demand for high quality training for much of the workforce.

The National Skills Academy for Nuclear will join a network of existing national skills academies in the Construction, Financial Services, Food and Drink Manufacturing and Manufacturing sectors, with the aim of having 12 skills academies up and running by the end of 2008.

To achieve this, the Government has committed to invest over £90 million in the programme, which will be delivered through the Learning and Skills Council working with employers and Sector Skills Councils.

Employers supporting the National Skills Academy for Nuclear and driving skills provision in the nuclear sector include: the BNFL, Fluor Ltd, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Serco, UKAEA and Washington Group International. Together these employers have contributed more than £8,257,000 to the development of the National Skills Academy for Nuclear. Support in designing and developing the Academy was provided by Cogent, the Sector Skills Council which covers the Nuclear industry.

David Lammy, Skills Minister, said, “It is great news that we are able to welcome the Nuclear sector to the National Skills Academy Network, and this moves us a step closer to reaching our 2008 target for National Skills Academies. I congratulate the development team for the National Skills Academy for Nuclear in meeting the rigorous criteria required for approval, and I welcome the proposed investment commitment from employers. National Skills Academies are vital for the future productivity of this country as they address the real need for industry-specific training that is developed by employers and delivered in a way that best meets individual sector requirements”.

Chris Banks, Chair of the Learning and Skills Council, added, “The enthusiasm we have received from business to date has been very encouraging, and this commitment between industry and Government will go a long way to address the skills gaps England currently faces”.

Employers are at the heart of the development of the National Skills Academy network, which is instrumental in shaping the skills academies and advising on how they are run, including:

influencing the curriculum to ensure it reflects employer needs;
setting standards;
determining what network of providers employers want to work with;
getting involved in the management of the academies;
shaping their strategic direction.

Employers will also part-fund national skills academies, providing capital investment as well as equipment, know-how and industry insight. Employer sponsorship will fund about 50% of the capital costs of a national skills academy with a further 35% coming from the Government and the remainder from other sources such as European funding.

As training is developed and led by employers, each skills academy in the network is developing a bespoke model that reflects the needs of its sector. The varied models include state of the art training centres, linked networks of providers in further and higher education, on-site delivery of training and e-learning materials for flexible learning.

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Notes to editor

National Skills Academy network

The National Skills Academy network is the new gold standard for industry training, aiming to improve productivity and tackle skills shortages across England.

Each National Skills Academy puts employers at the heart of skills training for their sector: they influence the curriculum to ensure it reflects employers’ needs; get involved in the Academy’s management; set standards; and influence strategic direction.

National Skills Academies aim to:

deliver high quality training for a specific sector;
provide first-class teaching in a modern learning environment;
be centres of innovation and creativity in skills development for their sector;
be flexible, sustaining the closest possible relationships with employers of all sizes; and
build specialist networks with a range of other learning providers, so that new thinking, new methods and higher standards are shared to the benefit of learners and employers.

The National Skills Academy network was initiated by the Government to address the need for a world class workforce with better skills than ever before. It is managed by the Learning and Skills Council working in partnership with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, the Sector Skills Development Agency, the Skills for Business Network and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

The Government’s commitment to have 12 National Skills Academies in place by the end 2008 was further endorsed in ‘World Class Skills: Implementing the Leitch Review of Skills in England’ presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State in July 2007.

The Skills for Business Network is made up of licensed Sector Skills Councils and their regulatory body, the Sector Skills Development Agency. This network is responsible for improving skills and productivity within the UK.

Note to Editors

The Government is currently consulting on whether nuclear power should be an option for investment as part of a low carbon generating mix and will announce a decision after the conclusion of the consultation on 10 October.

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