• Baroness Verma meets National Grid apprentices and praises facilities at Eakring
  • Apprenticeships 'key part' of Government's drive for growth

Energy and Climate Change Minister Baroness Verma gained a first-hand insight into National Grid's highly-regarded apprenticeship schemes, during a visit to the company's Eakring training centre in Nottinghamshire, today (Thursday 12 March).

Baroness Verma, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, was visting Eakring as part of National Apprenticeship Week. During a tour of the site she chatted to gas and electricity apprentices, hearing about their training and work.

Baroness Verma said: "National Grid's apprenticeship programmes are helping equip hundreds of people with the important skills they need for a successful career in the energy sector. It was great to see the excellent training facilities on offer at National Grid's Academy in Eakring and to speak to current apprentices about their roles.


"Apprenticeships are a key part of the Government's drive to boost growth. Today the Prime Minister launched new 'degree apprenticeships' and there are many other opportunities up for grabs across the East Midlands and beyond."

National Grid is training 133 apprentices and is recruiting a further 83 for September 2015. On average, the apprenticeships last for three years and approximately half of that time will be spent training at Eakring.

Craig Smith, National Grid's UK Acadamy Manager - Technical and New Talent, said: "Apprentices are the life-blood of National Grid. They are our workforce of the future and we were delighted to be able to show Baroness Verma the work we are doing. We have invested over £9 million in our Eakring training centre during the last three years, ensuring our apprentices have world class training facilities to develop their practical skills."

Baroness Verma was joined on the visit by Mark Spencer, MP for Sherwood. He commented: "My number one mission is to deliver local jobs. The work National Grid is doing - training the next generation - is at the forefront of this and I am delighted to support this work."

Following a tour of the site, Baroness Verma and Mr Spencer took part in a round-table discussion on energy issues and skills in the East Midlands, chaired by Liz Fothergill CBE, President of the Chamber of Commerce for Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. Among those attending were local business representatives and the University of Nottingham.

ENDS


Sara Wilcox
National Grid Media Relations
+44 (0) 7899 983792
sara.wilcox@nationalgrid.com
Out of hours duty press officer:
+44 (0) 1926 653000

Photos:
For photos relating to this news release please visit www.nationalgridmedia.com

Notes to Editors:
National Grid is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world and has been named Responsible Business of the Year 2014 by Business in the Community. We own and manage the grids that connect people to the energy they need, from whatever the source. In Britain and the north-eastern states of the US we run systems that deliver gas and electricity to millions of people, businesses and communities.

In Britain, we run the gas and electricity systems that our society is built on, delivering gas and electricity across the country. In the North Eastern US, we connect more than seven million gas and electric customers to vital energy sources, essential for our modern lifestyles.

National Grid in the UK:

  • We own the high-voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales, operating it across Great Britain
  • We own and operate the high pressure gas transmission system in Britain
  • Our gas distribution business delivers gas to 10.9 million homes and businesses
  • We also own a number of related businesses including LNG importation, land remediation and metering
  • National Grid manages the National Gas Emergency Service free phone line on behalf of the industry - 0800 111 999 (all calls are recorded and may be monitored).
  • Our portfolio of other businesses is mainly concerned with infrastructure provision and related services where we can exploit our core skills and assets to create value. These businesses operate in areas such as Metering, Grain LNG Import, Interconnectors and Property. National Grid Carbon Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of National Grid. It undertakes Carbon Capture Storage related activities on behalf of National Grid.

National Grid in the US:

  • National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.4 million customers in New England and upstate New York
  • We own 3.8 gigawatts of contracted electricity generation, providing power to over one million LIPA customers
  • We are the largest distributor of natural gas in northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.5 million customers in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Find out more about the energy challenge and how National Grid is helping find solutions to some of the challenges we face at www.nationalgridconnecting.com

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