Issue No. 41 Winter 2017/18

High profile kick off to

2018!

017 has closed and 2018 is well underway and all the new challenges that it 2 will bring. Some great New Year news for all the 2014 entry apprentices, they have all now completed their NVQ3 portfolios of evidence of competence and had them finalised by their assessors. They have then been internally verified for compliance and I’m pleased to say that completion apprenticeship certificates have been requested and received. The successful apprentices are x5 from Springfields, x2 from NNL, x2 from Victrex and x1 from F2 Chemicals Ltd. They are all in line to be retained by their employers and deployed as skilled personnel in their various engineering teams

National Skills Academy Nuclear (NSAN) celebrated to mark 10 years of providing a dedicated service to the nuclear industry, culminating in a celebratory lunch reception at the House of Lords, hosted by Lord Hutton of Furness. The event was heavily attended by key industry contacts from employers and providers including Westinghouse as well as key stakeholders and government representatives. The reception was also used to unveil a new look NSAN logo. A number of members who had been with NSAN for the full 10 years since its inception were presented with

Keith Tidmarsh on the balcony at the House special certificates to mark their dedication to the skills agenda. of Lords after receiving NSAN 10 year Established in 2007, NSAN has spent the past decade working with nuclear membership certificate employers, training providers and other strategic stakeholders to provide solutions to skills needs.

Local MP for Fylde, Mark Menzies, paid a flying visit to Springfields recently to learn about the potential opportunities available to apprentices, and the importance of apprenticeships for the future growth of Westinghouse, including our Small Modular Reactor (SMR) new build aspirations, and for the retention of key engineering skills in the local economy.

2016 entry degree apprentices Lloyd Woodhouse, Katie Keighley, Robert L to R Jack Fleetwood (Victrex) chats to Harrison and Callum Page joined young engineers Dan Ainscough, Dan Brian Nixon and Mark Menzies during the Nightingale and Jonathan Sutcliffe on a masterclass learning programme on lean MP’s visit principles and improvement techniques hosted by the Site Improvements Manager Steve Cooper. The programme was conducted over 3 weeks in EURRP in December 2017. Steve used the backdrop of the actual live plant running conditions and data to set the intrepid participants the task of mapping the process and analysing the data through to improvement recommendations using his taught techniques. The engineer’s data analysis was fed back to the plant managers and at the managing directors monthly keynote, the exercise and findings were well received. Their project concluded there was a potential £1.4m uranium saving if some of the identified improvement ideas were further investigated and implemented.

Keith Tidmarsh

Apprentice Training Manager

i, welcome to the Winter Edition of the ASA Safety News, I hope you are all well and are keeping safe. H

I just want to give you a quick update on our recent discussions within the Safety Improvement Team (SIT), the SIT meets on the first Wednesday of every month and we have been discussing a whole range of safety matters and topics, all of which is helping us to develop an understanding and knowledge of safer working practices which includes the many safery standards and regulations which is needed for us to work safetly in.

We have just recently begun preparing and working on another presentation for the Operational Health and Safety Group Conference which is taking place at Ribby Hall in March. Wish us luck and watch this space…..

With regards to the ASA the Annual Apprentice trip overseas is coming up and this year once again we are off to Bruges . This is a fantastic experience for anyone traveling to this lovely city but I just want to remind everyone to ensure that they have the correct travel insurance necessary before going away. As a minimum you should have an E111 card, however I would strongly advise getting some travel insurance this is invaluable should you have an accident or fall ill on the weekend away. Enjoy and keep safe.

Stuart Lamb

ASA Chairman of Safety Improvement Team

Nuclear Safety Culture - Employee Behaviour

irstly I would like to thank everyone who took part and purchased raffle tickets in the Christmas draw which was held in December 2017. We managed to raise well F over £1000 for our site chosen charity, which is Kidneys for life. This couldn’t have been done without the commitment of all the Apprentices who took park in one way or another either selling tickets in Costa and/or walking around site building to building.

I would also like to congratulate the prize winners, Janet Stevenson’s ticket was drawn by Damian Holohan, head of Unite Union, she was lucky winner of the main prize the Apple iPad Air.

As always there were some good prizes on offer including an iPad air, Fitbit, Amazon Dot and four x £50 shopping gift cards. The raffle was once again a great success due to the continued support of all the employees on site.

Janet Stevenson receives her winning prize of the iPad Air from Susan Walker, Site Training Manager

The ASA has also held its yearly Christmas social event, this took place at The Café bar which is located in Preston. There were over 25 apprentices which attended the night which was enjoyed by all.

The ASA is currently in the process of arranging a trip to Bruges. This will take place in early March and there has been a lot of interest expressed in this trip.

The trip will consist of an overnight ferry crossing from Hull, a day in Bruges and the ferry back. It was thoroughly enjoyed last year when we went to Amsterdam and it is hoped that this will trip will be just as good!

Another social event which is currently being arranged is Go-karting, this is should be taking place in February and already has gained a lot of interest.

Matthew Kehoe

ASA Chairman

Hello, I would like to introduce myself, my name is Lloyd Woodhouse and I am a 2nd Year Degree Apprentice with Springfields Fuels Ltd.

In January of this year I was approached by Keith Tidmarsh and asked if I would like to ‘step-up’ and represent Springfields as an ‘Apprentice Ambassador’ as part an initiative devised by the Lancashire Work-Based Learning Executive Forum (LWBLEF) for its members.

The LWBLEF is committed to supporting its members to provide the highest quality of Work-Based learning opportunities to young people and adults within the workforce to the benefit of employers and the wider society in Lancashire. Their intention is to establish Work Based Learning as a valid and recognized route of choice into Higher Education or career progression.

My role as an Apprentice Ambassador is to share my experience, knowledge and any skills I have gained along the way with other young people and adults at events running in and around Lancashire over the next year. This will consist of preparing presentations for delivery within schools to help motivate, inspire and encourage other young people to join apprenticeship schemes, I will also be attending Careers Fairs to help promote apprenticeships of all levels in schools and colleges across Lancashire

As the Apprentice Ambassador Network spans the whole of Lancashire, seminars and networking events are held to allow apprentice ambassadors from all over Lancashire meet and talk about their experiences. One aspect of the ambassador role is to talk to companies about the benefits of taking apprentices into their business. The opportunities from this consist of promoting apprenticeships as a whole but also promoting Westinghouse and the range of apprenticeships they offer.

I am very much looking forward to this next year and look forward to giving you an update in the Spring 2018 Newsletter Edition.

Lloyd Woodhouse

Springfields 2nd Year Degree Apprentice

What does an Ambassador do?

Share the experience, knowledge and skills of being an Apprentice and talk positively and honestly about your Apprenticeship journey to inspire others.

Champion and promote the benefits and opportunities that Apprenticeships provide to young people, and parents.

Motivate, inspire and encourage young people to make an informed decision about their future.

Act as a role model to promote and encourage diversity within Apprenticeships.

Proactively promote Apprenticeships to employers to highlight the benefits of recruiting apprentices and encouraging them to offer high quality Apprenticeship opportunities to young people.

Attend schools events and careers fairs to promote Apprenticeships, and delivering presentations to school assemblies or at events/conferences.

Promote progression to Advanced and Higher Level Apprenticeships.

Supporting young people considering an Apprenticeship.

Act as the voice of young people - a sounding board for consultations on the future direction of Apprenticeships etc.

What support will an Apprenticeship Ambassador receive?

Undertake a training and induction course into the Apprenticeship Ambassador programme.

Be provided with a resource pack of materials to present the information to schools.

Be able to share their experiences and learn from other Apprenticeship Ambassadors.

Have access to ongoing training to support their Ambassador role.

Be part of a network of Ambassadors across Lancashire and the North West.

What is the commitment?

An ambassador should be able to commit to supporting around 3 activities per year.

We ask that Ambassadors sign up for a minimum of a year, however they can be an Ambassador for as long as they wish.

The network meet altogether twice a year, the network's board made up of volunteer Ambassadors meet four times a year.

Future Careers Events

Blackpool Winter Gardens, Empress 22nd February 2018 08:00-16:00 Ballroom. Changing Horizons Cardinal Allen Tuesday 6th March from 2-4pm AKS Lytham 7th March 2018 18:00 – 20:00

Guildhall Apprenticeship Exbo, Preston 13th March 2018 12:00-19:00

Some of our Apprentices attending last years Apprentice Exhibition at the Guildhall, Preston.

Left to right: Tim Shields, Christian Terrins & Heather Lovell

Penwortham Priory Academy 26th April 2018 09:30-14:30 Hutton 4th July 2018 09:30-14:30

Raising Aspirations, building Skills for life and work

pringfields Apprentice Training where recently invited to take part S and support the ‘Changing Horizons’ event which is an event run by the Civil Service Local North West.

The primary focus of the event is to raise aspirations of young people and their families in line with the Prime Ministers ambition “to make Britain a country that works for everyone not just the privileged few.” has been identified as the lowest are of social mobility in the North West and designated as one of the new ‘opportunity areas’ for investment.

Jim Unsworth, who is one of our Electrical Apprentice Training Instructors, chose 4 apprentices, Matt Kehoe and Stuart Lamb, who are both 3rd Year Craft Apprentices, Katie Keighley and Lloyd Woodhouse, who are both 2nd Year Degree Apprentice to help with days event.

The 4 Apprentices had previously planned the events and experiments and had a ‘practice run’ so they were very confident that their ideas worked, however, there was a last minute change of plan by the organisers due to other employers that were unable to attend on the day.

L to R Matt Keho & Stuart Lamb

Each table had 12 children for 30 minutes at a time and there were 7 groups of children who visited us throughout the day. Katie & Lloyd had the children making a small dc motor out of paper clips, cable & a 9V battery. Stuart and Matt were showing how to wire up a plug and strip down a valve.

Jim said “I am really proud of all the Apprentices who helped on the day, it was extremely busy as we were spread quite thin with the change of plan from the organisers but the Apprentices responded admirably they all ran their activity tables brilliantly and had the children fully engaged, although I have to say I heard some mutterings along the lines of “I’m never working with children again!”

Jim went on to say “I think it’s safe to say our Apprentice team stood up to the challenge!”

Well done to all the Team

Katie Keighly & Lloyd Woodhouse showing how to build a small dc motor from paperclips and a battery

OUR COMPANY POLICY: The Company is fully committed to the elimination of unlawful and unfair discrimination and values the difference that a diverse workforce can bring in relation to individual views, outlook and approach to the organisation. We will endeavour to ensure no one will receive less favourable treatment or is to be disadvantaged by requirements or conditions, which cannot be shown to be justifiable. The Company will not discriminate because of any other irrelevant factor and will continue to build a culture that values openness, fairness and transparency

Current hot topic – Current Hot Topic for February 2018

Title

Our Oceans are Under Threat Background Story

Sir David Attenborough has called for the world to cut back on its use of plastic in order to protect oceans. He has explained that action on plastics should be taken immediately and that humanity held the future of the planet “in the palm of its hands”. His comments come amid growing global calls for cutbacks in the use of plastic. Each year more than 300 million tons of plastic is produced globally, and 10% will end up in the sea. In the worst affected ocean areas, there are over one million pieces of plastic for every square mile and it is estimated that there is now a 1:2 ratio of plastic to plankton and, left unchecked, plastic will outweigh fish by 2050. Also worryingly, plastic production is set to double in the next 20 years.

Attenborough claims that everyone’s actions had an impact on the ocean. “We have a responsibility, every one of us,” he said. “We may think we live a long way from the oceans, but we don’t. What we actually do here, and in the middle of Asia and wherever, has a direct effect on the oceans – and what the oceans do then reflects back on us. We could actually do something about plastic right now.”

Almost 7,000 people took part in the Great British Beach Clean in September 2017, a project that removed 255,209 pieces of litter from 339 beaches. One of the biggest contributors to plastic pollution is drinks bottles. Some 480bn plastic bottles were sold globally in 2016 – more than one million per minute.

Sir David added: “For years we thought that the oceans were so vast and the inhabitants so infinitely numerous that nothing we could do could have an effect upon them but now we know that was wrong. The oceans are under threat now as never before in human .”

Blue Planet II raised awareness of plastic pollution in the oceans during their final episode, winning a special Impact Award for their work at the National Television Awards. Accepting the award, Attenborough stated, “If our television programmes have helped stir the consciences of people around the world and that we are going to do something to protect our beautiful world, then all of us (production crew) will be very pleased.” Viewers responded emotionally and this response was clear on Twitter with people vowing never to use plastic bags again and demanding a need for change, in their own actions and that by the Government.

The UK Government is currently considering ways to manage this consumption to make it more sustainable. Some proposals include deposit-return schemes and better free-drinking supplies in cities. Cutting back on plastic packaging and plastic bags in supermarkets would also be a major step in decreasing the amount of plastic produced.

Safeguarding Cyberbullying - Plastic pollution is one priority alongside a range of environmental issues, such as climate change. Social Media acts as a platform for individuals to post their thoughts and opinions on such matters. However, some come under fire for their opinions, being harassed and bullied. It is important to be aware that each individual has their own opinion and shouldn’t be a subject of cyberbullying because of this. It could be a matter of presenting the facts to this person politely and respectfully, for them to make their own judgement.

What is cyberbullying? Why might someone believe or not believe in issues such as global warming?

Equality and Diversity United Nations Environment - UN Environment launched #CleanSeas in February 2017, with the aim of engaging governments, the general public, civil society and the private sector in the fight against marine plastic litter. Nearly forty countries have signed up to the campaign, including the UK. Many countries have legislated to force shops to charge for plastic bags or even banning them altogether, such as Rwanda and Bangladesh. Canada has added microbead to its list of toxic substances, with the US and UK banning microbeads in cosmetics.

Research into the #CleanSeas campaign and find out what they are doing to fight against marine plastic litter. What are other countries doing to tackle these pollution issues?

Health and Safety Contamination from Micro Plastics - Some plastic is toxic and it can disrupt hormones crucial for a healthy existence. Even when it is not dangerous itself – or not known to be – plastic acts like a magnet for a range of other poisons and pollutants we have spilled into the natural world. Once in the ocean, plastic breaks down into tiny fragments, micro plastics; along with all industrial chemicals which have drained into the ocean these form a potentially toxic soup. When predators eat the smaller prey, the plastic bioaccumulates up the food chain, eventually reaching humans. A recent study found that billions of people globally are drinking water contaminated by plastic.

What can be done by individuals to prevent plastic pollution in the oceans?

British Values 25 Year Environmental Plan - Theresa May is launching the Government’s environmental plan for the next 25-years which will commit the UK to eliminating all avoidable plastic waste, such as carrier bags, food packaging and disposable plastic straws, by 2042. This plan will urge supermarkets to set up ‘plastic-free aisles’ for goods with no packaging. However, environmental groups have raised concerns that this plan lacks urgency, detail and bite. Friend of the Earth CEO said “a 25 year plan is clearly needed – but with the nation facing an accelerating environmental crisis we can’t afford to wait a quarter of a century for urgent action to tackle the issues that already threaten our lives, health and planet.”

What are your opinions on the 25 year environmental plan? What are your opinions on the concerns of the environmental groups? What ideas can you think of to reduce the number of plastics being produced?

(info by Profound People Who Go Further)