PDA

View Full Version : The decommissioning of Dounraey



Mr P Cannop
05-Oct-06, 12:33
a quick note to say where i got this from the mfr web site news page

A development fund to help the far north economy after the decommissioning of Dounraey is being launched today. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is putting up half million pound to encourage the creation of local businesses and new initiatives that will help create jobs. It is feared unemployment in the Caithness area will soar when work at the former nuclear plant finishes.

Ann
05-Oct-06, 14:36
The NDA North HIghland Regeneration Fund has been launched and is established by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

There were a lot of people present and after the official presentations and a buffet lunch there was plenty of time for informal conversation with the various speakers. All very interesting.

Here are some of the Scheme Rules as revealed at the launch today.

The fund offers support by way of loans. Grants are not available from the Fund and it does not offer financial support in any other way.

Loans are available for business purposes only and are not available to private individuals.

The borrower must be a company although some kinds of partnerships can also be borrowers. Loans are only open to small and medium sized enterprises.

All enquiries will be welcomed and it is recommended that you make informal enquiries before going ahead with a formal application.

The minimum loan available is £5,000 with the maximum being £50,000 but could be higher at the discretion of the Fund.

The interest rate on a loan will be fixed for the duration of the loan and will reflect the prevailing Bank of England base rate, plus 1%.

peter macdonald
05-Oct-06, 15:16
While this wee drop in ocean is welcome IMHO the best that Dounreay/government can do for Caithness is spend some of the money it has on training as many young folk from Caithness as electricians /welders /instument mechs etc etc as it did in the past..
Dounreay always had a good training scheme in past years and to leave Caithness with a highly skilled pool of workers would go a long way to lessening the economic hit thats coming the way of west Caithness

dozy
05-Oct-06, 15:37
It's great to see any money being made available to help offset the rundown .But if my memory serves me well wasn't Neil Money and D R Jones employed to do this ,and with a wage like a lottery win for some ..YES-NO ????

Ann
05-Oct-06, 17:12
While this wee drop in ocean is welcome IMHO the best that Dounreay/government can do for Caithness is spend some of the money it has on training as many young folk from Caithness as electricians /welders /instument mechs etc etc as it did in the past..
Dounreay always had a good training scheme in past years and to leave Caithness with a highly skilled pool of workers would go a long way to lessening the economic hit thats coming the way of west Caithness

I'm in total agreement with you there Peter. With all the building etc., going on in Caithness, the trades need to keep up their stock of skilled workers. I know that it is expensive to train apprentices whether at Dounreay or local firms but the need is there and the future of Caithness depends on them.

Or maybe of course we will be importing European skills!

98elite
05-Oct-06, 19:54
" I'm in total agreement with you there Peter. With all the building etc., going on in Caithness, the trades need to keep up their stock of skilled workers. I know that it is expensive to train apprentices whether at Dounreay or local firms but the need is there and the future of Caithness depends on them."

Agree with you both on this one, it is important but try telling that to one of our biggest builders in Caithness (M M Miller) who paid off all their apprentice joiners in the summer, and very few have picked up employment since either, not a great start for these youngsters, the builders of the future now head for interviews with Tesco etc, the future of Caithness??????? mmmm time will tell folks.

sweetpea
05-Oct-06, 22:09
The funders of apprenticeships could do more too. I believ if you check out the figures for people completing their training they are pretty low especially in the Highlands. I think a lot of these schemes work against the person not for them. What does the college offer these days? Can you train to be a plumber, plasterer, painter and decorater or joiner up here?