Sellafield Ltd is helping boost apprenticeships for the north, according to the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.
The comment was made during the ‘Northern Powerhouse Apprentice Summit’, which gathered more than 150 apprentices and business leaders from the north, at MediaCity in Manchester.
Degree apprentices from Sellafield Ltd, Nicholas Mars and Simone Wilson, attended the event, and mixed with trainees from companies like Barclays, Co-op, Bentley Motors Ltd, Manchester Airports Group and Nissan.
Sellafield Ltd joined the Northern Powerhouse Partnership a year ago, to connect Cumbria with other northern towns and cities helping to drive economic growth via investments in skills, innovation, transport and culture.
Former apprentice and now Director of Transformation for Sellafield Ltd, Angela Seeney, spoke at the event.
She said; “It was great to see Sellafield Ltd praised for our apprenticeship programme.
“I was delighted to share the story of my own apprenticeship and career, and also what Sellafield Ltd is doing to help shape the UK’s future workforce.
“Sellafield has always been a powerhouse in its own right, but our greatest challenge is ensuring we leave a positive legacy not only for Cumbria, but the country.
“From trailblazing new degree apprenticeships to creating a project academy and funding apprenticeships for small businesses in the community, we are proud to be driving skills for the north.”
With 42% of apprentices at Sellafield being female, the company was also praised for driving gender balance in the nuclear industy.
Simone Wilson, Control, Electrical, and Instrumentation Degree Apprentice from Risley said: “I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to speak to apprentices from other industries. What I found most encouraging were the female role models, both business leaders and trainees, sharing their stories and discussing how we can work together to encourage young people to pursue apprenticeships.”
Earlier in the year, Northern Powerhouse Minister, Jake Berry, visited Cumbria to find out more about the region’s contribution to economic growth in the north.
Mr Berry said: “Sellafield clearly plays a huge role already in the north’s economy, employing more than 11,000 people and spending more than £1.1bn a year in the supply chain.
“It is encouraging to see first hand how they are helping small businesses to diversify away from the nuclear industry, and I am impressed by the range of high quality apprenticeships being developed in Cumbria.”
“To learn about the challenges and opportunities in the region, from those who live and work here, has helped us understand how the Northern Powerhouse can support local and national economic growth in the area.”
