New trades and skills academy to be created to boost £12bn X-Energy and Centrica Hartlepool nuclear jobs
A new trades academy to equip generations of young people with the skills they need to secure well paid jobs in the clean energy sector is to be created in Hartlepool.
Bosses leading a £12 billion new nuclear project in Hartlepool came together with education and political chiefs to pledge their support for the new Nuclear and Electrical Trades Academy.
It is set to be created in the long vacant former Binns building in Hartlepool town centre which is undergoing a £13.8m redevelopment
The academy will help to fill 2,500 jobs expected to be generated from “game changing” plans for a new nuclear plant in Hartlepool by reactor technology makers X-energy and energy company Centrica.
Project partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding at Hartlepool Civic Centre on Friday morning pledging their commitment to the academy.
They included bosses from X-energy and Centrica, Hartlepool College of Further Education, Hartlepool Borough Council, Hartlepool Development Corporation and MP Jonathan Brash.
It was also witnessed by the Secretary of State for Education Bridget Philipson MP who said: “Britain’s clean‑energy transition will only succeed if we match investment in new technologies with investment in people.
"Today’s agreement is exactly the kind of partnership we want to see: industry leading the way, communities at the heart of it, and young people gaining access to the skills and opportunities of the future.”
The academy will focus on hands-on technical training, with clear routes into apprenticeships and employment.
It will train people in electrical installation, heating systems, fabrication, construction, low-carbon technologies and wider construction skills,
Jonathan Brash said: “Last September we signed an historic deal to bring world-leading Advanced Modular Reactor technology to Hartlepool, a £12 billion investment, enough clean power for 1.5 million homes and 2,500 jobs.
"But from the very moment that deal was signed, I was clear about one thing: those must be Hartlepool jobs for Hartlepool people.”
He added: "This is going to be an amazing moment for our town. There will be generations of young people benefiting from this.”
Centrica Group Chief Executive Chris O’Shea said: “Hartlepool has been at the heart of the UK’s nuclear success for more than half a century. Our aim is to ensure that the next generation of clean‑energy jobs stays rooted here too.
"We’ve got big ambitions for Hartlepool – not just to host new nuclear technology, but to become one of the UK’s leading centres for clean energy skills and training.”
Alistair Black, Vice President of X‑energy, added: “The nuclear industry runs on skilled people, and this academy will help provide a first-class workforce to support a new proposed power station at Hartlepool.
"These will be real, long-term careers in a growing industry – high quality well-paid work that people can build a life around, close to home.”
It is anticipated the new skills academy will be up and running by 2028.
Hartlepool College is central to the development of the academy and will lead on the the curruiculum.
Vice principal Gary Riches said: “It’s been said quite a few times that this is a game changer but it quite literally is.
"There’s going to be thousands of jobs for local people, especially the younger generation coming through.”