GD23 – Hinkley HPTA package

As part of the LEP’s Growth Deal allocation £6.5m was made available to Further Education providers to competitively bid into, to help deliver direct skills to support the Hinkley Point C project and to ensure skilled employees are able to backfill jobs due to increased labour market demands from the project. These projects will be delivered across the LEP area in association with the Hinkley Point Training Agency (HPTA). Successful projects are:

  1. Bicton (Cornwall College) – this project is a dedicated Skills Centre for Engineering and Construction, including nuclear. This project will deliver 18,000m2 of external Realistic Work Environment; 100m2 of classroom space and 4,000+ Suitably Qualified and Experienced Personnel over 20yrs. This project is currently being developed and has received an allocation of £300,000 from Growth Deal.
  2. Bridgwater – HPTA – National College for Nuclear (Southern Hub). This project bases the National College for Nuclear (NCfN) – Southern Campus on Bridgwater College’s newly developed University Centre in Cannington. The NCfN Southern comprises of a number of interlinked elements: a 2,690m2 state-of-the-art training facility housing a virtual reality environment, a reactor simulator, flexible Nuclear Skills Lab, meeting rooms, computer equipped training rooms and central infrastructure; Collaboration and recreation space; Student residential accommodation (100+ beds). This Project creates ‘state of the art’ facilities to meet the specialist training needs of the nuclear industry by the construction of a Southern Hub for the National College for Nuclear. These include: Higher Level Skills (3,000 technical roles pa & 3,500 professional roles pa); Annual recruitment in engineering disciplines, control and instrumentation and project management forecast to increase 19% of current numbers, at higher skill level, including control and instrumentation, project and programme management, civil engineering operators, safety case specialists, commissioning engineers and heavy electrical engineers. There is a focus graduate-level control and instrumentation and electrical skills; and the project delivery, engineering and technical professions. The project delivers 2,690m2 of gross area in the main complex and a further 9,390 learners. This project is currently being developed and has received an allocation of £300,000 from Growth Deal.
  3. Exeter College – a Centre for Advanced Industrial Automation to address the LEP priorities for the HPTA, Hinkley Point C supply chain and the New National College for Nuclear advanced manufacturing and Business Incubation. This project increases floor-space by 25%; increase classroom-based learners by at least 82; increases apprenticeships by at least 51; aims to reduce the levels of NEETS in Exeter and increases employment and Hinkley focused employment by at least 100 FTEs. The project has received an allocation of £300,000 from Growth Deal.
  4. Petroc (North Devon) – Devon Nuclear Hub – The project will provide necessary improvements to the IT and physical infrastructure serving the Mid Devon Campus in Tiverton, which will enable the development of the campus into a nuclear hub for Devon and specifically to meet identified skills needs relevant to the Hinkley Point C (HPC) development. This will include IT infrastructure improvements to facilitate an online learning platform; the development of facilities to deliver mechanical engineering, construction and other related courses relevant to Hinkley Point C; and the adaptation of facilities to improve employer engagement. The project will convert 250m ² of floor-space to enable meeting identified skills training and assessment needs related to Hinkley Point. This will take space which is currently not fit for purpose and bring it to Award Body and accreditation standards. The project will enable the recruitment an additional 75 learners in year one following completion, rising to a steady state of 150 additional learners per year from year 2 onwards. A minimum of 20 employers engaged in HPC-related training/assessment activity will be delivered annually from September 2017 onwards. This project is currently being developed and has received an allocation of £359,080 from Growth Deal.
  5. South Devon College – The project is a suite of small capital investments that will enable the College to extend and enhance the range and quality of our provision to meet the direct and indirect skills needs for the new nuclear development at Hinkley and address the replacement skills resource needs locally. It will provide mobile training and assessment facilities, increase access to training for employers at a range of locations and will provide access to specialist support and equipment (CAD and 3D printing) to businesses that are not currently available locally. These will increase flexibility and ease of access for employers and learners so that provision can be tailored to meet their needs. An additional 900 Learners, young people and adults, will have gained skills and qualifications from access to improved IT, equipment, software and through mobile facilities by March 2017. 110 businesses will be supported through new facilities; including software and mobile resources with 18 jobs created as a result by March 2017. Improved and extended training space fitted to a high standard with access to mobile training devices across a wider locality is now operational at Heathfield and Newton Abbot. This project is completed and delivering and has received an allocation of £213,980 from Growth Deal.
  6. Yeovil College – Addressing skills gaps in Construction/Civils and Facilities Management. This project will deliver skills training and jobs (including Traineeships, Apprenticeships and Higher Apprenticeships at Levels 2 -4) by; upgrading existing facilities, increasing capacity and widening the skills offer through a new build for construction training and an extension to the current hospitality facility to meet skills gaps arising from developments at Hinkley C and its supply chain. This project will provide for 20 new learners in Facilities Management when open rising to a total of 55 new learners and 28 new jobs pa when fully operational. It will also provide for 20 new learners in Construction/Civils by late 2017, rising to a total of 110 new learners and 55 new jobs when fully operational. It has received £ £637,500 from Growth Deal.

Growth Deal 1 Funding: £6.51m

Total Funding: £20.54

Started on site: August 2015

Completion: 2017

This project forms part of the Nuclear South West strategy – a strong partnership between three south west LEPs (Heart of the South West, West of England and GFirst) the nuclear industry, local authorities, academic and skills sectors and business support agencies – generating £55bn of nuclear opportunities over the next decade

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    David Ralph

    Chief Executive

    David Ralph started as Chief Executive of Heart of South West LEP at the beginning of June 2018. Previously, he had spent 5 years as CEO of the Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire (D2N2) LEP from 2013 where he oversaw the development of the D2N2 Strategic Economic Plan and sector strategies, 3 Growth Deals with HM Government to deliver a £1billion capital investment programme, securing and implementing £200m ESIF programme, the Derby and Nottingham Enterprise Zone, the D2N2 Skills Deal and Time for Innovation programme, community fund and led the executive team to develop the HS2 East Midlands hub. He was also closely involved in the proposed North Midlands Devolution Deal and one of the key architects in establishing the Midlands Engine, chairing the officer steering group. Whilst in this role David was a NED of the Nottingham Enterprise Zone, and Marketing NG, the Outer Estates Foundation and a Governor of Nottingham College and on the advisory Board of Nottingham Business School.

    Before the East Midlands, David was CEO of the Have Gateway Partnership working closely with local stakeholders including the ports of Felixstowe, Harwich and Ipswich and BT Adadastral Park across Suffolk and Essex and prior to that was Chief Exec of the Barton Hill New Deal for Communities programme in Bristol and the Nelm Development Trust in Norwich.

    David is a keen sailor, walker and trail runner.