Blog | Westinghouse Nuclear

Celebrating 70 years of Apprentice Training at Springfields, for UK National Apprentice Week 2021

Written by Westinghouse Electric Company | February 10, 2021

It is the 14th annual UK National Apprenticeship Week (8th to 14th February 2021) this week – an annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships.

Last year, our Springfields Apprentice Training Centre celebrated its 70th anniversary, having trained more than 30% of the current Springfields workforce, and more than 2,000 apprentices since 1950.

Our people are our greatest asset, and the apprentice programme at Springfields has been, and continues to be a critical foundation of our business. Our Springfields site manufactures the fuel that provides approximately 32% of the UK’s low carbon electricity and has established Springfields as a strategic national asset for the UK. The site plays a key role in delivering the UK’s Net Zero by 2050 ambitions.  Maintaining skills and expertise across the business is vital as we look to advance tomorrow’s energy.

The high quality training provided through our apprentice training programme has been central to our achievements - both for our customers and the UK, ensuring that our employees are equipped with the skills and expertise to safely deliver the highest quality products and services. Our apprentice programme, whilst predominantly focussing on Engineering apprenticeships, also includes Process Operations, Laboratory Technician, Chartered Manager, Digital Technology and Nuclear Engineering apprenticeships – and leads to careers in a variety of roles across the business.

Springfields Managing Director, Brian Nixon, along with approximately half of his leadership team are former apprentices, which highlights the success of the programme. “I owe a lot to the Springfields Apprentice Training programme personally, which has provided me with the foundation to reach the point in my career which I have done to date – that is something I am very grateful for,” said Brian. “This year marks our 75th anniversary, and I am confident that our apprentice programme will ensure that we continue to have the skills and expertise we require to sustain and grow our business to help deliver a cleaner, more sustainable world.”

Our Springfields business has strong ambitions to fuel the UK’s new generation of nuclear reactors, and continue to play a pivotal role in the UK’s Net Zero by 2050 goals through our Clean Energy Technology Park (www.CETPspringfields.com). Our apprentice training programme will continue to help shape tomorrow’s energy together for a cleaner, better future for the UK.

To find out more, or to apply to be part of this exciting chapter through our 2021 Apprentice recruitment cohort, visit here.