Frimley, 2013-Jun-14
Nick Clegg visiting the Newcastle site
Siemens Energy also called for more focus on delivering apprenticeships and investing in engineering skills to secure recovery across the UK.
Commenting on today’s session, the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg MP said: “I am here today to support manufacturing and regional employers that are committed to creating growth in the region. Siemens play a critical role in the UK when it comes to greening the economy, and developing the technologies that will underpin a sustainable energy mix in the years ahead."
Mark Armstrong, Training Centre Manager who was part of the Q and A said: “It was great to hear from the Deputy Prime Minister, who talked a lot about the future of skills and renewable energy. I was interested to hear about plans to encourage more apprentices too; I think they are very important for getting young people into work, especially in North East”
Siemens was selected to host today’s visit as one of the leading engineering
employers in the region. The Newcastle site has around 900 employees and 2,000 across the region. Siemens was also selected because of its reputation for investment in skills and training, including £9 million in the Energy Service Training Centre. This is the second time that Mr. Clegg has visited the Training Centre. In March last year Siemens hosted a visit by the deputy prime minister, and business secretary Vince Cable, during which the ministers toured the facility and met
apprentices and other employees. Siemens was praised for its investment in skills and training, especially its much-prized apprenticeship programme for fossil and renewable service technicians.
Siemens Energy Service business is focused on providing service for conventional and renewable power plants in the UK and globally for the Parsons steam turbine fleet. To maintain this lead market position requires a pipeline of talent and
investment in skills and training. The Training Centre provides a unique environment for the next generation of technicians providing dedicated areas for training in steam and gas turbines, wind turbines and generator technology. Siemens is also leading the way in apprenticeships – of the 300 on the UK scheme at present over a third are based in the North East, including 80 wind turbines service technicians
Commenting on today’s visit, Graham Hartley, managing director, Siemens Energy Service UK and Ireland, said:
“We very much welcome the Deputy Prime Minister’s focus on growth, industrial policy and skills today. This resonates with what we are doing as a business by investing in our people and infrastructure. We have used today to call on the Government to further invest in the renewable energy sector and ramp up the focus on skills and apprenticeships, so we can begin to close the skills deficit our sector faces”
“It is a real boost to the business to be acknowledged for the work we do in the region as a major engineering employer, and especially in skills and training. We have a strong culture of employee engagement and today’s session was a great opportunity for our employees to express what matters to them in the business and issues affecting them every day in the North East.
Contact for journalists:
Siemens plc
Anne Keogh, tel: 07808 823545
E-mail: anne.keogh@siemens.com
For further information and press pictures, please see: www.siemens.co.uk/press
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Siemens plc
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 170 years ago and now employs around 13,520 people in the UK. Last year’s revenues were £3.2 billion*. As a leading global engineering and technology services company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges, across the key sectors of energy, industry, infrastructure & cities and healthcare. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.siemens.co.uk
* Data includes intercompany revenue. Data may not be comparable with revenue reported in annual or interim reports.
