Our apprentices are contributing to one of the most important environmental clean-up programmes in the world, and during the week we’ll be sharing their stories.

This year’s theme is ‘Build the Future’, and our apprentices are doing just that.

To mark the 15th annual Apprenticeship Week, we’re launching a new finance apprenticeship programme based across our group of businesses.

The new pilot scheme is sponsored by the NDA and will help to support our efforts to futureproof our mission by ensuring we have the right skills in place at the right time to achieve our mission of cleaning up the UK’s earliest nuclear sites.

David Vineall, NDA Group Chief People Officer, said:

“Our mission to clean up the UK’s earliest nuclear sites is one of the most important environmental remediation programmes in the world, with work at some of our sites continuing for over 100 years.

“It’s vital we attract new talent into our businesses to enable us to deliver our mission, the work we do is varied, exciting and challenging and the opportunities and careers we can offer are rewarding. Apprenticeships play an important role by providing us with a pipeline of talent.

“I’m incredibly proud of our apprentices and the contribution they make to the NDA group, we have a rich and established history in investing in apprenticeships and we will continue this commitment and investment for many years to come.

“National Apprenticeship Week is a great way to celebrate their achievements and thank them for the role they play in the success of our mission.

“The breadth and variety of roles we’re featuring this week demonstrates the diversity of opportunity available across the NDA group.”

National Apprenticeship Week gives us a chance to hear from our apprentices and their experiences of learning and developing in the workplace. We’ll be sharing their stories across our social media channels throughout the week.

We’ll hear from those training in a range of disciplines including quality technicians, health, safety and environment, welding, nuclear operators, project management, firefighting and business administration.

Katie Wightman, who was named UK Nuclear Apprentice of the Year at the National Skills Academy Nuclear Awards 2021, now works at Sellafield Ltd. She said:

“Joining the nuclear industry genuinely changed my life. What’s great about the industry is that it’s ever changing and diverse. That appealed to me massively and I knew I wanted to be part of it. I wanted to be part of the change.

“I respect what Sellafield Ltd and the NDA group stand for, the challenges we are meeting together, and the way we support each other and our local community. That’s a company I wanted to be part of and I’m proud to say I am.”

Jack Lopresti MP, co-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Apprenticeships said:

“I am a huge supporter of apprenticeships, as they are an open door into the world of work. Apprentices earn while they learn.

“I am glad that National Apprenticeship Week offers the whole country the chance to see something of the great work done by apprentices with great support from employers.

“As we build back after the Covid pandemic, we need to reset our economy for a world that is rapidly evolving. Apprenticeships in the nuclear industry represent opportunities in a world-beating sector and are just the sort of skills our country needs.”

Find out further details or apply for NDA group finance apprenticeships here.

• Trade Secretary hosts inaugural UK-South Korea trade committee to lay groundwork for enhanced deal that will build on £13 billion trading relationship
• Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo sign new strategic agreement to bolster supply chain resilience – the first UK agreement of its kind with an Asia-Pacific partner
• Secretary of State to visit green pioneer Ceres Power, which signed £43 million partnership with South Korean firm Doosan

International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan today (7 February) hosted the inaugural UK-South Korea FTA Committee in London and meet her Korean counterpart, Yeo Han-koo, to discuss increased trade and collaboration in key areas such as digital, the environment and supporting small business. Both sides will aim to start talks on an enhanced trade deal later this year.

Trade between the UK and South Korea totalled £13.3 billion in the year to September 2021 – up 11 percent on 2020. In particular, UK exports to South Korea have seen strong growth, increasing by 12 per cent in the same year.

Following the global chip shortage and other supply chain issues caused by the pandemic, they also signed an agreement to strengthen supply chain resilience. As one of the UK’s biggest trading partner for critical goods, the agreement will help ensure the continued smooth flow of key supplies between our two countries.

After the meeting, Trevelyan will travel to Redhill to visit Ceres Power, the green energy pioneer that signed a £43 million partnership with South Korean firm Doosan.

International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

This is our Indo-Pacific tilt in action – strengthening ties with one of the largest economies in the world.

From offshore wind to hydrogen, 2021 saw many examples of the growing collaboration between our two nations – particularly on clean growth.

I’m excited to build on our existing trade agreement, going even further in areas like technology and services.

South Korea, a global leader in electronics and more recently cultural exports like K-pop and Squid Game, counts cars, whisky and crude oil amongst its top goods imports from the UK.

As a top ten economy and industrial powerhouse, South Korea offers UK businesses fantastic export and investment opportunities. The country also forms part of the UK’s strategic tilt to trade more with the Indo-Pacific region.

In the year since the UK-Korea Continuity FTA came into force, the Department for International Trade (DIT) has supported a range of UK firms, such as Ceres Power and Oxford Instruments, to secure export wins in South Korea.

Caroline Hargrove, Chief Technical Officer, Ceres Power, said:

We are pleased to host the Secretary of State at our Redhill fuel cell manufacturing site. From here, we transfer technology under licence to global partners to embed in next generation clean energy applications, helping to address climate change and achieve net zero.

Ceres is proud to be a UK high growth technology success story, collaborating with global partners such as Doosan in South Korea, to deliver clean energy technology at scale and pace.

Goods exporters are also profiting from a growing market for high quality UK-made products. From iconic brands like Whittards, Denby Pottery and Brompton Bikes to more technical goods like Survitec’s medical equipment and life jackets, South Korean consumers are increasingly buying British.

The UK has become a top destination for South Korean green investment. DIT recently signed an agreement with the Korean Investment Corporation (KIC) aimed at increasing Korean investment into green and sustainable projects in the UK.

South Korean firm SeAH is also investing £260 million to boost the UK’s offshore wind capacity in the North East, which will create hundreds of new jobs and help the UK build back greener.

Sebastian Lazell, CEO of Denby Pottery, said:

We are proud that Denby’s Derbyshire-made ceramics have contributed to the impressive growth of British exports to the South Korean market, and the current post-Brexit transitional trade agreement has undoubtedly helped Denby’s progress.

We look forward to a future trade agreement with South Korea that can ensure the continuation of the Denby success story to benefit British Design, British Manufacturing and British Exports for many years to come.

Will Butler Adams, CEO of Brompton Bikes, said:

South Korea has become one of Brompton’s top and most valuable export markets thanks to consistent support from DIT. Our Ambassador has cheered on hundreds of Brompton racers, flying round a circuit in Seoul, we have had strategic advice on the appointment of our distributor and are always welcome in the embassy.

This support has helped us nurture an incredibly passionate Brompton community that continues to inspire more and more people to enjoy the freedom of cycling in cities across South Korea.

The pandemic has amplified the demand for Bromptons, as people have looked for a better way to commute and explore their city, and we expect to continue to see significant growth and development of our partnerships.

Gerard Grech, CEO of Tech Nation, said:

There is high demand in South Korea for cutting-edge technologies – especially those in which the UK is world-leading. Building an even stronger trading relationship with South Korea will further connect our thriving innovation ecosystems.

As part of the UK Government’s Digital Trade Network in Asia Pacific, Tech Nation will continue to support the UK’s high growth tech scale-ups win new business.

Millions of motorists are set to benefit from a major government crackdown on rogue parking firms which will see fines slashed and a clearer and fairer appeals system created.

A new package of measures announced today (7 February 2022) will protect drivers from unfair and extortionate charges, with a new Code of Practice to help keep cowboy private parking firms in check.

The government’s Parking Code of Practice will see parking fines cut by up to 50% in the majority of cases, saving motorists millions of pounds each year.

The proposals include a maximum cap for parking fines, a 10-minute grace period before a late fine can be issued, and a requirement for parking firms to clearly display pricing and terms and conditions.

In England outside of London and in Wales, charges will be reduced from £100 to £70 or £50, depending on the seriousness of the breach.

Private firms which breach the new Code could even be barred from collecting fines from motorists at all.

Currently, private parking firms are able to hide behind non-specific, pseudo-legal and aggressive language when pursuing motorists. The Code of Practice will provide new higher standards.

Rogue firms which break these rules could be barred from requesting Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data, making them unable to pursue motorists for their charges through the post.

A new, simpler appeals process is also being created, to make it easier for disputed fines to be cancelled.

The measures will be a major boost to millions of motorists in England, Scotland and Wales and will help to draw people back to their local high streets by eliminating the fear of being unfairly caught out.

Fresh measures proposed in the new Code and Framework include the creation of a mandatory single Appeals Service and Appeals Charter for motorists to turn to if they are unfairly fined. Under options set out in the Appeals Charter, motorists could be able to appeal their fine and see it cancelled entirely if:

• they have a mitigating reason for overstaying their parking ticket such as their vehicle breaking down
• they have made a genuine innocent error, like keying in a digit in their number plate incorrectly
• they have a valid ticket, permit or Blue Badge but failed to display it correctly

The Code also states:

• New parking charge levels which will mirror the local authority system for publicly accessible car parks, halving parking charges for millions of motorists to £50. It will keep the current £100 cap in some circumstances such as abusing Blue Badge bays or if a motorist is trespassing on private land.
• Motorists will be offered a 50% discount if they pay within 14 days.
• Parking debt collectors will be banned from adding additional excess fees to the level of the parking charge, currently as much as £70.
• A compulsory 10-minute grace periods before firms can issue a late fine.
• A compulsory 5-minute cooling-off period in which a motorist can consider the terms and conditions and change their mind about parking.
• A crackdown on parking firms using aggressive or pseudo-legal language to intimidate motorists into paying fines.
• A requirement for parking firms to clearly display pricing and terms and conditions of parking, contact details and how to appeal a charge.

The Parking (Code of Practice) Act became law in March 2019 and builds on action the government has already taken to tackle rogue private parking firms, including banning wheel clamping and towing and stopping over-zealous parking enforcement by councils.

The Parking (Code of Practice) Bill was a Private Members Bill introduced by Sir Greg Knight MP, supported by the Government and received Royal Assent in March 2019. It covers England, Wales, and Scotland – creating consistency for motorists everywhere in Britain.

Currently there are two parking trade associations, the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC). Each has a Code of Practice that their members are required to abide by, but there is no single set of rules, so motorists are vulnerable to bad private parking practices such as deliberately poor signage and unfair parking fines.

Private parking companies who do not follow the Code by the end of 2023 could be banned from accessing Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data.

• Minister Nigel Adams visited Tileyard London on Thursday, 3 February, 2022.
• The Minister toured key Tileyard facilities, including the in-house management, publishing, and record company Tileyard Music.
• Tileyard Music includes Pixie Lott and Brit and MOBO award winning singer, Ella Eyre, on its roster.
• Tileyard North is under construction in Wakefield, Yorkshire and is expected to deliver around 500 new jobs and is benefitting from a £20 million Levelling Up grant provided by central government
• The UK is the second biggest exporter of music globally after the USA.

Cabinet Office Minister Nigel Adams visited the co-founders of Europe’s largest creative hub, Tileyard London on Thursday, 3 February. The Minister heard plans to strengthen Yorkshire’s place within the UK’s creative industry and understand how Tileyard’s new site will increase international exports.

The Minister’s visit to Tileyard London, ​​based in London’s Kings Cross, heard from creative experts and Tileyard co-founders, Paul Kempe and Nick Keynes. The Minister was briefed on their plans to level up the creative industry with Tileyard’s expansion to a new state-of-the-art facility in Wakefield, currently under construction.

It is expected that the new site in West Yorkshire will create around 500 new skilled jobs in the area and is benefitting from a £20 million Levelling Up grant provided by central government to support the creative and digital hub which will complete the regeneration plan for Waterfront Wakefield.

Minister of State Nigel Adams said:

This significant investment and vote of confidence in the northern creative industries is fantastic news. Tileyard North shows that levelling up is not just a government policy, but an opportunity of which the private sector and creative industries can take full advantage.

Residents of Wakefield and the surrounding areas will benefit massively from Tileyard North, just as so many have from the amazing facilities at Tileyard London.

The UK is known globally as a hub for the creative industries to thrive in and this government is continuing to invest in the sector with the help of our GREAT campaign which successfully promotes the UK across the globe.

Minister Adams spoke to resident businesses Gearbox records, a vinyl-led record label with an analogue vinyl cutting facility, and Spitfire Audio, a technology company based in London who create sample libraries of virtual instruments used for musical synthesis.

He also toured Tileyard’s in-house management, publishing, and record company – Tileyard Music. Tileyard Music includes Brit and MOBO award winning singer Ella Eyre, DJ and Producer, Joel Corry and singer and coach on The Voice Kids UK, Pixie Lott, on its roster.

From here, Minister Adams spoke to students at Tileyard Education – a higher education and professional training company. It provides globally recognised, industry-driven tuition, mentoring and work-based learning programmes at the London and Wakefield locations, as well as online.

Paul Kempe, co-founder of Tileyard London, added:

It was a delight to receive a visit from cabinet office minister, Nigel Adams, who toured the facilities and met a number of the community residents at Tileyard London.

We acknowledge the vast number of opportunities that can and do happen when creative industries collaborate in a community or within close proximity. And how fundamental the creative industries are to the UK economy.

We are looking forward to opening the doors to Tileyard North in the north of England early this summer and replicating the success of Tileyard London. Setting out a new stage for creative communities of the north to plug into Europe’s largest music community and eventually providing both high-quality jobs and opportunities to Wakefield and beyond – which sits exactly within the government’s levelling up agenda.

Notes to Editors:

• Details of the GREAT campaign are available via the website
• In 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK music sector generated £2.9 billion in exports. In 2020 exports totalled £2.3 billion.
• Tileyard London is Europe’s largest community of independent artists and businesses, convening 150 creative companies and home to over 250 creative organisations, artists and independent creative industry businesses, including an industry-leading educational and training facility.