17 July 2009 - Alstom has opened a new UK welding facility in Stafford which will help hundreds of workers develop the welding skills sorely needed by the UK engineering construction industry.
David Kidney, MP for Stafford and Under Secretary of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, performed the official opening of the new centre.
One of very few such centres in the UK, the facility is equipped with 18 welding bays and a dedicated development bay, which will enable Alstom to train apprentices, improve the skills of its workforce and continue its research and development in new industry-leading welding techniques.
Engineering organisations such as the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) and the Power Sector Skills Strategy Group (PSSSG), have long warned of an increasing shortage of critical skills in the industry – with welding identified as one of the key priorities for the UK power sector.
With this in mind, Alstom will not only develop its own workforce, it will also make the welding facility available to other power companies wishing to upgrade the skills of their employees.
The facility has the capacity to provide 9,000 training days per year. It will provide basic welding appreciation courses as well as highly advanced practical MMA, MIG, TIG and flux core training, with qualifications and coding certifications in all processes and grades of material.
The centre will also continue R&D work begun at a former Alstom facility in Rugby, where, along with partners in the industry, the company is developing welding techniques such as flux core arc welding and FastROOT welding – processes designed to use longer-lasting materials requiring less maintenance by the customer.
The Rugby facility has been replaced by the new, state-of-the-art expanded facility in Stafford, where trials of new welding techniques and their use with different materials will continue.
The facility will pioneer research into health and safety in welding, for example, by working with suppliers to develop new protective headgear that is more comfortable for working in heat. Also, the facility will have a new positioner rig to allow welding at different angles, reducing manual handling risks in the workplace.
Alstom is a founding member of the proposed National Skills Academy for Power (NSAP) and its investment in this new facility is part of its commitment to develop skills in the UK engineering construction industry. Alstom will recruit over 30 apprentices this year, as part of its plan of employing 100 apprentices across its UK business by 2010.
Steve Burgin, President of Alstom in the UK, said: "This opening today is evidence of our commitment to Stafford and to the UK engineering industry. With the power sector set to expand in the UK, it is crucial that our workforce has the skillset required to help us build and maintain power stations now and in the future."