The Heart of the South West LEP is seeking an experienced professional to support and align the region’s collective skills and employment approach for the requirements of Hinkley Point C.
Working closely with EDF Energy and its supply chain; regional training providers and the South West hub of the National College for Nuclear; and wider partners from across the South West, including the LEP’s wider Skills and Nuclear leads; the postholder will play a pivotal role in mobilising and marshalling the area’s skills and employment capacity, driving forward both individual progression and upskilling, as well as maximising the impact of Hinkley Point’s unique employment potential for the region.
Ideally, the postholder will have a strong background within the skills and / or nuclear / significant infrastructure sector; understand the demands of working within and across a dynamic and nationally significant project; be comfortable engaging with and across multiple partners in the public, private and provider sector as required; and able to work flexibly and independently to meet local demand.
Given the unique nature and requirements of the role, the HotSW LEP is looking for a secondment in the first instance, though direct employment for this role is a possibility, as well as flexibility around working patterns, working days and location.
The salary will be in the region of £40 – £45K per annum, with a contract offered for 12 months in the first instance with the potential to extend.
The LEP is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants reflecting the diversity of the community, and we work within the framework of Somerset Council’s Equality and Diversity Policy.
Applicants should submit their CV with a supporting letter by 5pm on the 22 March to janet.powell@heartofswlep.co.uk Interviews will be held on Thursday 4th April. Please call Corinne Matthews 07881 218670 or Phill Adams 07854 797304 for an informal chat about the role.
Background
The construction of 2 new nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point C provide a once in a generation opportunity for the Greater South West to catalyse a change in its skills performance. With a workforce of 6,400 individuals on site at peak, and 25,000 roles on offer over the lifetime of the project, Europe’s largest construction programme will be a significant generator of skilled employment across the region through to 2025, with a commitment from EDF Energy to employ 34% of all labour on site from within the local area.
Whilst phase one of this mobilisation, focused upon civil construction, which is now firmly underway, the project is rapidly moving towards a second ‘mechanical and electrical engineering’ phase, which will require an additional 6,000 skilled operatives by 2023. This will include new opportunities across the engineering landscape, from precision welding and forming to electrical engineering, data analytics to programme management.
Though welcome, such demand poses new challenges as well as opportunities for the region. With historically low levels of unemployment, an increasingly tight labour market, and anticipated local and national demand for such skills ever growing (from both nuclear new builds and the third runway at Heathrow to the South West’s own world leading engineering sector), ensuring that the area can provide the right skills in the right place over the next decade is crucial to realising sustained economic growth.
Given the scale of the task involved, regional partners are now seeking to take forward a renewed approach to realising this employment and skills opportunity. This includes supporting those in the economy already able to contribute; mobilising our collective training capacity and excellent provider network to upskill, reskill and refresh individuals with the potential to progress; and seeking to facilitate the creation of a new generation of engineers, technicians and technology leaders across our region.
Main Responsibilities and Duties
- Lead the co-ordination of South West colleges, independent training providers, and other relevant partners to support the emerging skills and employment requirement from HPC and other advanced engineering demand, assisting them to secure relevant training and employment opportunities for the region.
- Work closely with EDF Energy, its Tier 1 suppliers and other key partners to understand and facilitate the delivery of key competencies, occupations and qualifications for the HPC project. In doing so, support the delivery of the Workforce Development Strategy and that activity aligned to other associated plans, including the Hinkley Strategic Delivery Forum (HSDF) and the Nuclear Skills Strategy Group.
- Work with the LEP Nuclear Sector Lead and the Skills Lead to understand wider advanced engineering requirements to support potential for transferability across the economy as well as developing a strategy for widening the talent pool.
- Work with the National College for Nuclear (SW Hub), to better understand industry priorities for curriculum development and to extend the reach of the National College for Nuclear in terms of providers accessing and using their curriculum.
- Work with the HPC Employers Affairs Unit (EAU) to support its delivery with local partners, including regular liaison with the leaders of the Hinkley Jobs Brokerage, Hinkley Apprenticeship Service, Education Inspire Project and the Local Authority HPC Community Outreach Workers to support
- Coordinate regional input into Nuclear Sector Deal, across the various sector deal workstreams that have a people and skills components, thus helping to deliver the ‘place’ focus of the deal. Support the delivery of national NSSG priorities within the region and support the transfer and delivery of good practice from the other nuclear regions (specifically the East of England, via New Anglia LEP and the North West, via Cumbria LEP)
- Work extensively with ECITB and CITB education providers to help ensure that providers, Industry Training Boards, and the National College for Nuclear can work together to ensure quality education and skills delivery locally.
- Engage with the collation and regularly update of relevant LMI data, working closely with public and private sector partners
- Coordinate apprenticeship demand and delivery in the area to stimulate apprenticeship utilisation, and thus directly contributing to the Nuclear Sector Deal target for increased apprenticeships in the area.
- Facilitate and co-ordinate the Hinkley Strategic Delivery Forum People Group and its Delivery Plan General Competencies
- Work collaboratively with key partners and stakeholders to deliver against contractual obligations to a high standard including networking, facilitating, influencing and events.
- Work independently and recognise the dynamics and complexities of a partnership funded and managed project.
- Be commercially aware and quickly understand the challenges and opportunities of the HPC project and other Industrial sector requirements.
- Present and communicate at all levels and environments on the activity which requires excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Lead and deliver programme activity to an exceptional standard.
- Develop a coherent strategy to coordinate activity and inform planning for later phases of the project, adapting to issues as they develop.
March 2019
