Bridgwater & Taunton College (BTC) has strategically placed itself as the region’s leading provider for technical and professional training, and works in collaboration with a large number of local and national employers, including Hinkley Point C (HPC), supporting one of the UK’s largest infrastructure projects in delivering a wide range of Apprenticeship programmes.
From Steelfixers to Chefs, HPC has a large and varied Apprenticeship community with a wide ranging set of skills needs and requirements. Like many learners and employees across the country, the HPC apprentice community has been impacted by the on-going Covid-19 crisis, and processes and skills delivery has been adapted to ensure continuity and best practice for success.
EDF’s Chris Young, Education and Skills Delivery Manager says: “Our training providers such as Bridgwater & Taunton College have been incredibly supportive – embracing technology with remote lessons, observations and assessments taking place online wherever possible.
“The key thing has been to keep the momentum going. Apprenticeships are at the forefront of our workforce development and skills needs and we want to provide the best possible opportunities and experiences for all apprentices working and learning as part of the HPC Project during these difficult times.”
Managing the workforce accommodation for the HPC Project, HOST currently have 35 apprentices employed in roles including apprentice Chefs and a number of apprentices on a Team Leader Level 3 Apprenticeship. “As a training team we have made sure that we keep in regular contact with our apprentices, their line managers and the training providers”, says Jade Arnold, Training Manager from HOST.
“We’ve been able to work with Bridgwater & Taunton College to undertake some remote assessments via video call which has allowed us to keep our learners on schedule as much as possible. Our House Keeping Trainer is currently studying a Team Leader Level 3 Apprenticeship with Bridgwater & Taunton College, and she’s thrown herself into her online studies and is making the best use of the digital tools available to her in order to keep on top of her Apprenticeship with an incredibly high standard of work. The Team Leader qualifications are particularly important to us as we want our teams to be equipped with the best possible leadership skills for the future.”
BYLOR (a joint venture of Bouygues Travaux Publics and Laing O’Rourke, delivering HPC’s main civil engineering works) currently have 147 apprentices at HPC ranging from Steelfixers to Lifting Technicians and Digital Engineers. “We wanted to mitigate the risks posed to our learners and ensure that no apprentice was left disadvantaged by being furloughed”, said Olly Bartlett, BYLOR Training Manager. Through our approach we have been able to keep the momentum going and ensure that those with largely practical apprenticeships have not missed out on their on-the-job learning for too long.
“We have a fantastic working relationship with our Training Provider Bridgwater & Taunton College which has meant that we have been able to put these arrangements in place quickly and easily for our learners and provide a consistent approach throughout.”
