VELA Alliance and Magnox Commit to ECITB Skills & Training Charter
The VELA alliance (formed by two of the UK’s top engineering Companies, AMEC and Jacobs Engineering Group) has joined with Magnox to pledge their commitment to addressing skills shortages in the engineering construction industry, by signing the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board’s (ECITB) Skills & Training Charter.
The ‘VELA Alliance’ is engaged with Magnox Limited to enhance the pool of highly skilled project management personnel to deliver the Magnox Optimised Decommissioning Programme, across all of the Magnox ten sites. The signing of the Skills Charter reinforces the companies’ efforts to retain skills for the nuclear sector and broader engineering construction.
Martyn Johnson, Regional Account Manager, Wales & South West, said: “Collaboration is the key to success in securing engineering construction skills across all sectors and the ECITB is proud to be working alongside the VELA Alliance to secure the critical project management skills needed to fulfil the UK’s nuclear decommissioning needs.”
The signing of the charter took place at the Magnox Head Office and signified the Alliance’s pledge (based on future peaks and demands of resource requirements); to identify the learning and development needs, secondment and transition opportunities for the existing workforce; and where necessary, recruit and train graduates.
Mandy Walker, Learning & Development Manager, Magnox, said: “This partnership is an excellent opportunity to combine initiatives for learning & development, secondments and transition that will enhance core skills in the commercial decommissioning arena. It also enables us to benchmark our staff with others across the industry.”
The ECITB has also worked in partnership with Magnox to develop a Managed Transfer database; a nuclear specific tool for Site Licence Companies (SLC’s) to share the details of employees who are interested in wider development and transfer opportunities. The system forms part of Talent Retention Solutions (TRS) for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME) Careers and will help to retain a pool of talented engineers and technicians for both the nuclear sector and wider engineering industry.
David Edwards, ECITB Chief Executive said: “I warmly welcome Magnox and the VELA Alliance signing the Skills and Training Charter. It is a strong indicator of the positive commitment of the partners to securing the skilled people they need now and for the future. This is good for them and they join over one hundred other charter signatories who are equally dedicated to the continued success of the UK engineering construction industry.”
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About the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board
The ECITB is the statutory and charitable body set up to secure engineering construction skills now and for the future. It has delivered training successfully to over one million learners over 20 years, and is led and funded by employers from the industry, ensuring the services are relevant and fit for purposeThe ECITB provides professional advice, information, skills development and qualifications to help individuals in engineering construction and anyone interested in a career in the industry to succeed. A dedicated website has been set up to provide more detailed information http://careers.ecitb.org.uk/ The ECITB sets a range of occupational and training standards, awards industry specific qualifications and invests £20 million each year in support of apprentices and adult learners across a range of skills. From entry level craft and technician programmes through to advanced engineering project management skills. In 2011, 65,000 people were supported through the ECITB’s range of approved programmes delivered by a network of over 200 approved providers. The ECITB strategy is built on three objectives, these are to attract , develop and qualify talented people for the industry. The ECITB operating processes that secure the depth, breadth and quality of service are: employer engagement, identification of skills needs and priorities, stakeholder and provider engagement, delivery and continuous improvement. The ECITB provides support to employers, their employees and apprentices to design, build, maintain and decommission nuclear, power, pharmaceutical, renewables, chemicals, food, water, oil & gas facilities and other processes.
For more information visit www.ecitb.org.uk
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