Ł8m Engineering Centre Opens September 2011

6th July 2011

Apprentices from local engineering companies will be among the first students to register at the new engineering wing at North Highland College.

The centre is believed to be amongst the largest and best equipped of its type in the north of Scotland. A flexible curriculum will adapt to support the engineering needs of the area.

The NDA has invested Ł2m into the project. Their HR director, Jim McLaughlin, toured the engineering centre on a recent visit north. "The NDA is pleased to be part of the continued drive for skills improvement in the north of Scotland," he said. "This area already has a strong engineering capability due to its association with Dounreay.

The new centre will provide a high quality learning environment that mirrors workplace conditions, bringing engineering practice and theory more closely together and
giving NHC engineering students, and the companies they work for, a competitive edge."
DSRL head of HR Michael Dunnett, added: "DSRL is delighted to be supporting this
exciting development alongside the NDA.

"This is a major investment to ensure that we have a skilled and competent workforce to support the nuclear industry in Scotland but also to support the offshore renewable developments which are planned around the coastline of Caithness and north Sutherland.
This facility will be a major asset to the area."

From Dounreay News July 2011
For all the Dounreay Site News go to
http://www.dounreay.com/news-room/dounreay-news

 

Related Businesses

 

Related Articles

21/9/2026 : Other Public Services

What happens when the number of jobs and the amount of spending generated by Dounreay eventually begin to fall?

Dounreay is no longer the giant nuclear research establishment it once was, but a new economic assessment shows that it remains one of the most important pillars of the Caithness and north Sutherland economy.   The question that follows from that is perhaps even more important.  

21/9/2026 : Other Public Services

Dounreay Supports Almost One in Four Jobs Across Caithness and North Sutherland

Dounreay Supports Almost One in Four Jobs Across Caithness and North Sutherland Dounreay's importance to the Caithness economy is even greater than many people might realise.   A new economic impact assessment commissioned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and carried out by PwC estimates that the Dounreay site supported ÂŁ179 million of economic activity in Caithness and North Sutherland during 2024/25.  

21/9/2026 : Other Public Services

 
Dounreay's Famous 'Golf Ball' Will Be Painted – But When Will It Finally Come Down?

There is something slightly strange about spending money painting a building which is eventually going to be demolished.   That is what is happening at Dounreay, where the famous steel sphere containing the Dounreay Fast Reactor is being maintained while the difficult job of removing what remains inside it continues.  

14/8/2026 : Other Public Services

Scotland Has the Sites, Skills and Dounreay — So Why Is It Saying No to Britain's Nuclear Future?

There is something increasingly strange about Scotland's position in Britain's emerging nuclear revival.   Scotland has nuclear sites.  

28/7/2026 : Other Public Services

Caithness at the Centre of Scotland’s Electricity Revolution: The Transformation Happening Around Us

Caithness at the Centre of Scotland’s Electricity Revolution: The Transformation Happening Around Us Look across Caithness today and it is easy to see individual electricity projects – a new substation here, a cable route there, construction work around Dounreay or Spittal.  But put them together and a much bigger picture emerges.  

28/7/2026 : Other Public Services

Orkney Link Reaches Major Milestone at Dounreay – What It Means for Caithness and Scotland’s Energy Future

A major piece of underground engineering at Dounreay has been completed, bringing the Orkney electricity link another step closer to reality and putting Caithness at the centre of a project designed to unlock hundreds of megawatts of renewable energy.   SSEN Transmission has announced the successful completion of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) at Dounreay, describing it as a major milestone in the construction of the Orkney Link.  

30/6/2026 : Other Public Services

 
Innovative robotics trialled to tackle nuclear waste challenges

Innovative robotic solutions being trialled at Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) Oldbury site to tackle most challenging aspects of legacy waste management.   Oldbury nuclear decommissioning site is a trailblazer for robotics and other innovative approaches, with NRS deploying robotics trials in South Gloucestershire to tackle some of the most challenging aspects of legacy waste management, reducing risk to workers and improving efficiency.  

16/6/2026 : Other Public Services

 
NDA group employees recognised by His Majesty the King

Three NDA group employees awarded honours in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours list.   Three NDA group employees have been awarded honours in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours list, for services to the nuclear industry and the local community.  

4/6/2026 : Other Public Services

Wylfa Decommissioning But With Good Propects For Future Nuclear Dvelopments

Wylfa, located on Anglesey, North Wales, is a historic nuclear site that operated from 1971 to 2015, featuring the UK's largest and last Magnox reactors.   Known for its significant contribution to UK energy, it is currently undergoing decommissioning while being designated as a premier location for new, small modular reactor (SMR) technology.  

20/5/2026 : Other Public Services

 
Scottish nuclear site hails e-learning platform as great example of industry collaboration

The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board’s (ECITB) award-winning e-learning platform has been hailed as a great example of industry collaboration in action.   To mark Learning at Work Week 2026, NRS Dounreay has highlighted how the ECITB’s Learning Experience Platform (LXP) has become a “go-to training solution” for its 1,400 workers.