Memorandum 110
Submission from Nexia Solutions
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
CASE STUDY
Executive Summary
The submission below outlines Nexia's key interest
in the preservation of Nuclear Engineering Skills based on its
commercial activities and government remit. It highlights Nexia's
belief in the maintenance and growth of these skills to support
National policies and suggests ways in which government could
assist in this aspiration. A specific response against the case
study terms of reference is also provided.
Nexia Solutions Submission of Evidence
1. Nexia Solutions is the only commercially
run organisation in the UK with a specific government remit to
preserve and grow nuclear engineering skills in support of national
policies. Nexia is in the process of transitioning into the UK's
National Nuclear Laboratory, the lab will be a government owned
contractor operated organisation the competition for which is
expected to commence in summer 2008.
2. Nexia Solutions will be an applied laboratory
which delivers engineered and implementable solutions not just
theoretical concepts. To achieve this the lab will have a strong,
professional engineering capability.
3. Nexia is accredited for concept, detailed
design and manufacture supporting its customer projects, facilities
and internal investment in innovation.
4. Nexia seeks to provide challenging, varied
and stimulating experience, particularly at the start of a career
resulting in an emphasis on graduate recruitment. This approach
is reinforced by Nexia's remit as a "skills pipeline".
Nexia is also accredited to provide monitored professional development
(MPDS) for the major disciplines.
5. Nexia believes that training and development
of a new generation of nuclear engineers in the UK is a vital
necessity for the successful prosecution of the UK government
initiatives of clean up and new build.
6. Complete reliance on foreign expertise
to build, operate and decommission new UK nuclear stations runs
counter to the principal of improving the UKs energy security
as control over supply continuity will remain vested abroad.
7. The NDA oversees a huge annual clean
up budget and will continue to need the current, (and in future,
expanded) UK nuclear engineering skillbase to support this procurement
for many years to come. This support may come in the guise of
an "expert buyer" or "practitioner" but in
either event a new generation of UK based engineers will be required
to protect the national interest.
8. Nexia's contribution to the growth of
the UK skills base is governed by its ability to recruit and retain
high quality engineers in its own organisation alongside its efforts
in training coaching and mentoring engineering talent in academia
and across the industry.
9. Recruitment into Nexia is influenced
by:
- the quality and quantity of supply;
- the confidence of Nexia to commit to recruitment
plans based on long term growth; and
- Nexia's ability to offer a challenging
and rewarding career.
10. Retention within Nexia is influenced
by:
- the quality and quantity of alternatives
open to the recruit in competing industries;
- the confidence of Nexia to invest in the
employees development; and
- Nexia's ability to deliver a challenging
and rewarding career.
11. Nexia believes government can have a
key influence on successful skill base growth through improving
confidence of employees and employers in the future of
the industry and through incentivising accelerated delivery
of tangible progress in clean up and new build. For Nexia this
means specifically:
- Commitment to the National Laboratory concept
as an institution to which young engineers can aspire.
- Long term national programmes with a focus
on real progress which the laboratory is entrusted to establish
and deliver. This will allow Nexia to provide the type of career
paths and opportunities which will encourage talented engineers
to build a long term future within the industry.
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