Partnership agreement to secure education and training for current and future needs at Dounreay site

A new partnership agreement has been signed to develop and deliver training required at the Dounreay site during decommissioning work and help staff gain the qualifications they need to transfer to other employment sectors as the site closure progresses.

Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL), responsible for the clean-up and demolition of Britain’s former centre of fast reactor research and development, has established a memorandum of understanding  with North Highland College UHI and the University of the Highlands and Islands to help close collaboration working and academic links across further and higher education and the nuclear industry.

Commenting on the signing of the memorandum of understanding, Mark Rouse, Dounreay’s managing director, said: “Our working relationship with North Highland College UHI is a strong and successful partnership that has stood the test of time. We are pleased to formalise the agreement to work together with the University of the Highlands and Islands to develop and deliver training required to decommission the Dounreay site. As the programme is extended our staff are our biggest asset working at the heart of the nuclear industry and their knowledge and experience will be valuable to them and the local community once their careers extend beyond Dounreay.”

Donald MacBeath, North Highland College UHI principal, added: “For many decades now, the education to business partnership between North Highland College UHI and the Dounreay site has been a key economic driver in the north highland area providing innovative skills and professional development programmes of regional, national and international repute. I have no doubt that all three parties to this agreement are committed to working together proactively to create new career development opportunities for our students and staff in the years ahead”.

There is already significant nuclear expertise with the staff at Dounreay and the site is established as the European reference site for nuclear decommissioning and site closure. As part of this, there is a further opportunity to provide training for the nuclear industry both in the UK and overseas using the knowledge gained at Dounreay.

Professor Clive Mulholland, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of the Highlands and Islands said: “This is an excellent partnership, showing the real difference our university can make to distinct communities but with the potential for national and international impact through research and exchange of ideas. We want to act as a force for economic, social and cultural change across the Highlands and Islands by connecting and collaborating with businesses to provide enhanced training and skills development and the promotion of sustainable economic growth.”