nuclear-news

….“When considering my future career I needed to think about location and lifestyle. Working in a fast-paced London-based job would not have met my lifestyle results for example.”

Judy says the academic level of the workers in Trawsfynydd and Wylfa would shock most people.

“It’s very unusual for a project to be working with people from the top end of the academic scale,” she said….

….She is worried the are could be “crippled” economically if this does not happen, as a report commissioned by Magnox found £42m would come out of the local economy as a result of 1,200 people at Trawsfynydd and Wylfa not living and working in the area…….

…She admitted “funding is starting to fade” and was unsure whether the project would apply for a second round after 2015…

• by Martin Williams, DPW West
• Mar 27 2013

UP TO 1,000 nuclear energy staff in north west Wales are being retrained and re-educated to work in other industries.

Menter Môn’s £4million Shaping the Future initiative is attempting to get every member of the Trawsfynydd and Wylfa workforces into other jobs in a bid to retain £42m for the region’s economy.

Hitachi’s acquisition of Horizon last year gave the Wylfa B development a shot in the arm and firmed-up its future.

But project director Judy Craske says staff still need to be reeducated and re-skilled so they could be put to use in other industries, such as the automotive, tourism, manufacturing and aerospace sectors.

She says a talent drain would have a knock-on effect for the counties and has been busy enrolling employees at both sites.

At the last count in the new year, 833 of the 1,200 people she targeted have signed up for Shaping the Future – 527 at Wylfa and 306 at Trawsfynydd.

Speaking to Business Post, the former Magnox transition manager revealed last June how she garnered millions of pounds of European Social Fund cash through the Welsh Government, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Gwynedd and Anglesey councils to try and save them from the scrapheap.

“Since last summer the project has been off and now back on again, which has caused uncertainty,” she said.

“There is no panic but there is a wind of change and it is vital they take this on board. They’re going to get an idea in the coming months what the future will look like.

“Most can’t believe the day will come when there is not a job for them. They have to take this opportunity while there’s money in the bank. You never know, Wylfa might break, can keep going as long as it can but eventually there will be no more fuel to burn.”

Judy says, even dismissing the worst-case scenario, the staff should capitalise on Shaping the Future – notably the experience of ambassadors including Centrica nuclear director Greg Evans, and Aerospace Wales chief executive John Whalley – and add more skills to their CV so other positions open up to them. She is worried the are could be “crippled” economically if this does not happen, as a report commissioned by Magnox found £42m would come out of the local economy as a result of 1,200 people at Trawsfynydd and Wylfa not living and working in the area.

Among those to have already benefited is Magnox communications employee Ian Edwards, who secured funding to start an MsC in public relations at the University of Glamorgan.

“I immediately saw the benefits of Shaping the Future in helping me and my colleagues to improve our skills and qualifications for the future,” said Ian.

“When considering my future career I needed to think about location and lifestyle. Working in a fast-paced London-based job would not have met my lifestyle results for example.”

Judy says the academic level of the workers in Trawsfynydd and Wylfa would shock most people.

“It’s very unusual for a project to be working with people from the top end of the academic scale,” she said.

“Most are dealing with levels two and three (GCSE/A level) while this is for level four and above. The majority here are at degree level and higher, showing this is a high-performing group.”

Judy added: “The last nine months have seen things start to lift. The new-build announcement did change things a little but our objectives are the same. The ambassadors and out partners are working together… we know what the right way forward is.”

She admitted “funding is starting to fade” and was unsure whether the project would apply for a second round after 2015, but believes, whatever happens, Shaping the Future will leave a strong legacy.

“We’re bang on our profile and are one of the best-performing projects in North Wales,” she said.

“If this stopped we would leave behind a big database and a more skilled workforce. Who would have suspected such diversity of ability housed inside these two nuclear power sites?

“We can’t let it go to waste. North Wales can’t afford to lose it.”

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business-news/business-news/2013/03/27/up-to-1-000-north-wales-nuclear-workers-retraining-for-alternative-industries-55578-33066213/

UK NUCLEAR – 70% of current senior staff are due to retire in the next 10 years.

26 March 2013

….The International Energy Agency has estimated that there will be £930bn of investment in new nuclear reactors in the next 20 years, and £230bn in decommissioning and waste storage…..

The business secretary, Vince Cable, added: “We need to sharpen [the UK’s] competitive advantages to become a top table nuclear nation.”

“In 2010, the Climate Change Committee identified the low-carbon technologies the UK should develop and deploy in order to become world leading. The list included offshore wind and marine energy. It did not include nuclear. With the cost of offshore wind predicted to be on par with or cheaper than nuclear by 2020, there is no rationale for distorting policy to prop up the nuclear dinosaur.”

https://nuclear-news.net/2013/03/27/uk-nuclear-70-of-current-senior-staff-are-due-to-retire-in-the-next-10-years/

Welsh Secretary backs Nuclear Industrial Strategy