Job Opportunities for Hinkley Point

A recent meeting in Exeter of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) South West Training & Development Forum highlighted the significant increase in job opportunities and the requirement for new skills to be developed for the construction of the new Nuclear Power Plant at Hinkley Point, Somerset.

NNB Generation Company (NNB GenCo) is a subsidiary of EDF Energy.  It plans to build and then operate the new Power Station, which will provide enough low carbon electricity to power about five million homes. The size of the workforce required is similar to that needed to build the London 2012 Olympic Park, but with twice the volume of construction required; at its peak, an estimated 5,600 people will be required. If given the go-ahead, it will be the largest project undertaken in the UK outside London and the South East.

With such a massive build, a wide range of skills from the construction and civil engineering industries will be required, as well as individuals with nuclear skills and major project skills experience. Plant workers, steel fixers and erectors, welders, concreters, electricians, specialist building and plant operatives, structural engineers... the list is endless, but all will be required to complete the building of the plant.

The construction sector faces a potential skills shortage in key civil engineering and major project occupations and is working to address this challenge. There is also a lack of major project experience in the South West for the majority of the workforce required as new behaviours and supervisory skills will be needed. So, this presents the region with a major opportunity for skills conversion, up-skilling, re-skilling and new entrants.

As Tim Cribbens, Senior Project Manager, EDF Energy Nuclear New Build, explains: “The building of the new plant will create a huge opportunity for the South West, in terms of skills and employment. It’s important for EDF Energy to work with partners such as CECA who, through its membership, can help facilitate the process and with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) Construction Skills, who support construction companies with advice and funding for training and development.”

EDF Energy is already tackling the training needs of individuals at an early age by making significant investments in the Construction Training Centre and Energy Skills Centre at Bridgwater College, and in facilities and courses at the West Somerset Community College.

The Hinkley Point C project is also expected to create between 400 and 500 apprenticeships.  

Alan Taylor, Executive Director, CECA Sothern and South West, comments: “Thousands of new jobs will be created, both directly and indirectly, during the construction of the new Power Plant and the need for a workforce with new skills is unquestioned; the development will have a significant impact on the prosperity of the South West. My aim is to help the process along through our Training and Development Forums by bringing together representatives from SMEs and larger civil engineering and construction companies to discuss and address the skills challenge.”