SPONSORS OF REGIONAL FOCUS
SIEMENS DELIVERS SKILLS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
£8M INVESTMENT HELPS PUT THE NORTH EAST ON THE MAP Siemens, the leading global engineering and technology company celebrated the opening by Lord Willis of Knaresborough of its Energy Service Training Centre in Newcastle. This £8 million investment by Siemens provides a unique in-house training environment and experience for service technicians working on conventional and renewable power plants and helps put the North East firmly on the map as a centre of excellence for skills and training.
UK SKILLS AGANDA
The UK skills agenda is one of the most significant challenges faced by the country. The demand for engineers far outstrips current supply in long- established engineering sectors, as well as new areas, such as renewables. Siemens has addressed this challenge comprehensively and proactively by investing in an in-house resource to develop the skills and talent needed for the future. Siemens’s contribution has recently been acknowledged by the Engineering Employer Federation (EEF), with the North East, Yorkshire and Humberside
Siemens has a long tradition of training regionally and nationally and has made very significant investments in its facilities to develop its in-house learning and development capability. It first established a training facility at the Newcastle site in 2008 to train service technicians working on conventional power plants - a business which serves the international power generation market.
WIND ENERGY FACILITY
In 2009, a wind power technician training facility was added to the site, which reflects the growing importance of the renewables business for Siemens in the UK. The centre now has dedicated areas containing steam and gas turbines and generator technology, where employees are trained in an environment closely resembling that which they will experience out in the field. Similarly, the wind power training facility, the first to open in the UK, includes a full-size 2.3MW nacelle and two training towers. There are plans next year to add a 3.6MW nacelle to the facility. The latest investments have also included the development of 15 state-of-the-art classrooms kitted out with the latest IT.
Siemens officially opened its trailblazing Energy Service Training Centre in Newcastle on Tuesday 22, November 2011. A LONG TRADITION
TRAINING CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOCUS
The training centre focuses on two core areas: safety and technical skills, replicating as far as possible ‘real-life’ field conditions. Siemens trains up to 500 newly-hired employees each year. Many hundreds of other employees working on wind, steam or gas turbines also attend refresher or up-skilling courses at the centre. In addition to this, Siemens has around 150 young people studying for an apprenticeship at any one time and also manages the training programmes for the 15 graduates who join the Energy Service business each year.
As Hunter explains: “Ensuring we have a pipeline of future talent, by developing apprentices and graduates is a further key focus for our training centre team. And as well as developing our own employees at the centre, we make our training skills and facilities available to our customers, helping to cement our long-term relationships.”
Speaking about the centre, Graham Hartley, director, Siemens Energy Service Fossil said: “This could not be a more exciting time for the UK Service business, with the high growth projected in Renewables, as well as the growth of the global gas turbine market and combine cycle power plants. Having a world-class training facility to support this business is critical to future development. Given the North East’s history and engineering heritage, we’re incredibly proud to house the UK’s only training centre combining training facilities for technicians working on wind farms and power plants.”
Regional Skills and Training award for the Energy Service Training Centre’s strategic approach to tackling the UK skills challenge.
Keith Hunter, general manager, Training Services, Siemens Energy Service, explained the rationale for the training centre: “We are a service business and our customers depend on us to keep their plants up and running, safely and efficiently. It is imperative therefore that we have people with the right skills. Investing in our in-house capability was the best way to ensure that quality and reliability for our customers.”
STRONG LINKS WITH LOCAL EDUCATION ESTABLISHMENTS The training facility also maintains strong links with local schools such as Sir Charles Parson’s School and Specialist Science College, St Cuthbert’s RC High School and George Stephenson High School, as well as Tyne Metropolitan, Lincoln and Carnegie Colleges and the Universities of Newcastle, Durham and Northumbria.
Siemens
www.siemens.co.uk
82
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148