Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
More highly skilled jobs coming to Falmouth
I am delighted by this excellent news from Falmouth's A&P Group:
Major new renewables contract secures jobs at docks
UP to 100 new jobs are on their way to Cornwall after A&P Group’s Falmouth yard, the internationally-renowned ship repair company, won a multi-million pound contract this week.
The contract not only secures A&P’s growing reputation in the marine renewable energy sector, but dozens of highly-skilled jobs at the dockyard.
It will see A&P Falmouth constructing100 tonne blade racks for two self-propelled jack-up vessels owned by Seajacks International. The state-of-the-art vessels are purpose built for installing and maintaining offshore wind turbines, and are being converted for use on a huge wind farm off Liverpool.
Peter Child, Managing Director of A&P Falmouth, said: “This is a very significant new contract for us and we are delighted to be working at the forefront of the marine renewables sector. We won the contract in stiff competition with many of the UK’s other major yards.
“It is fantastic news not only for A&P, but for the whole of Falmouth and the wider local economy. With the country in a period of economic uncertainty, to be able to create new jobs is something we are proud of and confirms our commitment to the town.
“Many of the jobs will be for highly skilled workers, such as engineers, electricians, steel workers, plumbers and painters.”
Both purpose-built vessels – the Seajacks Leviathan and Seajacks Kraken – will arrive in Falmouth over the coming months to have the blade racks installed.
The racks carry massive wind turbine blades to offshore wind farms. Once on site the four legs are lowered to the seabed and the vessel jacked up out of the water to provide a stable platform for installing the wind turbines.
Mr Child said: “The distinctive vessels will be quite a spectacle when they come into the docks as they are quite different from the ships people usually see on blocks. They will jack up on their legs, which makes them look like an oil rig.”
Work has already begun on the planning and materials stage of the contract and it is hoped the blade racks will be built by the beginning of April. The Seajacks vessels are due in Falmouth during May. While they are in the docks, A&P will also undertake a full maintenance work package on the vessels.
A spokesman for Seajacks said: “‘Seajacks are please to be working with A&P Falmouth to deliver the mobilisation of Seajacks Kraken and Seajacks Leviathan for the Walney 2 offshore wind farm project.
“This mobilisation work includes fabrication of significant structures which need to be installed on the vessel in a short period of time. Seajacks are confident that the proactive approach adopted by A&P Falmouth will allow the works to be facilitated in the timescales required.”
Last year was a year of rapid growth for A&P in the marine renewable energy sector, thanks to the company’s focus on meeting the needs of offshore wind developers.
Major new renewables contract secures jobs at docks
UP to 100 new jobs are on their way to Cornwall after A&P Group’s Falmouth yard, the internationally-renowned ship repair company, won a multi-million pound contract this week.
The contract not only secures A&P’s growing reputation in the marine renewable energy sector, but dozens of highly-skilled jobs at the dockyard.
It will see A&P Falmouth constructing100 tonne blade racks for two self-propelled jack-up vessels owned by Seajacks International. The state-of-the-art vessels are purpose built for installing and maintaining offshore wind turbines, and are being converted for use on a huge wind farm off Liverpool.
Peter Child, Managing Director of A&P Falmouth, said: “This is a very significant new contract for us and we are delighted to be working at the forefront of the marine renewables sector. We won the contract in stiff competition with many of the UK’s other major yards.
“It is fantastic news not only for A&P, but for the whole of Falmouth and the wider local economy. With the country in a period of economic uncertainty, to be able to create new jobs is something we are proud of and confirms our commitment to the town.
“Many of the jobs will be for highly skilled workers, such as engineers, electricians, steel workers, plumbers and painters.”
Both purpose-built vessels – the Seajacks Leviathan and Seajacks Kraken – will arrive in Falmouth over the coming months to have the blade racks installed.
The racks carry massive wind turbine blades to offshore wind farms. Once on site the four legs are lowered to the seabed and the vessel jacked up out of the water to provide a stable platform for installing the wind turbines.
Mr Child said: “The distinctive vessels will be quite a spectacle when they come into the docks as they are quite different from the ships people usually see on blocks. They will jack up on their legs, which makes them look like an oil rig.”
Work has already begun on the planning and materials stage of the contract and it is hoped the blade racks will be built by the beginning of April. The Seajacks vessels are due in Falmouth during May. While they are in the docks, A&P will also undertake a full maintenance work package on the vessels.
A spokesman for Seajacks said: “‘Seajacks are please to be working with A&P Falmouth to deliver the mobilisation of Seajacks Kraken and Seajacks Leviathan for the Walney 2 offshore wind farm project.
“This mobilisation work includes fabrication of significant structures which need to be installed on the vessel in a short period of time. Seajacks are confident that the proactive approach adopted by A&P Falmouth will allow the works to be facilitated in the timescales required.”
Last year was a year of rapid growth for A&P in the marine renewable energy sector, thanks to the company’s focus on meeting the needs of offshore wind developers.
Improving access to financial education for young people
In Westminster today I enjoyed attending the launch of the Consumer Financial Education Body’s guide on financial education for those working with young people.
Studies show that many vulnerable young people have never been fully educated about financial basics, such as comparing credit interest rates, paying household bills, or opening a bank account. This lack of financial understanding can have a very detrimental impact on the lives of young people trying to live independently.
The Consumer Financial Education Body’s guide, ‘Money in the mix’ is intended to help those working with vulnerable young people pass on the skills that will allow individuals to make informed choices about their personal finances. I was delighted to able to lend my support to this guide.
Monday, 7 March 2011
Celebrating St Piran's Day
I was pleased to join Cornish MPs and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the Rt. Hon. Eric Pickles MP in raising the flag of St. Piran above Eland House, the home of the Department of Communities and Local Government in London last week.
The flag raising took place to celebrate St. Piran’s Day, and was followed by a Parliamentary reception featuring Cornish food and drink, tutorials on the Cornish language, and presentations on the history and traditions of the Cornish people. I appreciate the effort that organisations such as the Cornish Language Partnership, London Cornish Association, Cornwall Tourist Board, Cornish Festivals and Sense of Place Project put into making this a well attended and impressive event.
Readers will know that I take a close interest in policy to secure our energy security. I regularly meet with a range of organisations that are doing excellent work in this vitally important endeavour and last week was no exception with a fruitful meeting with Transition Ladock. I want to ensure that the lessons learned in their pioneering community work inform this Government’s policy work, especially in micro generation of electricity.
While each week, many constituents contact me with a wide-range of opinions and concerns, the most consistent issue last week was the impact of fuel prices. From nurses who visit patients in the community, to volunteer car drivers, to ferry operators, haulers, people involved in tourism, small businesses and people who rely on their cars to get around the area, people are very worried about the impact of increased fuel prices.
The political events in the Middle East and the impact on oil prices are well understood. I remember living through the ‘oil shocks’ of the 1970s and the impact on the economy in the aftermath. I graduated from university into a tough job market like youngsters are faced with today.
While I believe that the faster we move to a low carbon economy, the more secure and stable our economy will be. We have to respond to the situation we face today. I have been taking up my constituents’ concerns with Treasury Ministers and urging them to recognise the problems of high fuel prices for the economy this year. I have asked that the last Government’s plan to increase the fuel tax from April be scrapped. I have also pushed for the introduction of the ‘Fair Fuel Stabiliser’ – something that was in the manifesto that I stood on. It will of course be much harder to introduce with such political uncertainty in the countries of the world that produce so much oil but think it must be worked on.
It’s always a pleasure to highlight great examples of local charities in Westminster. This week, the South West Lakes Trust outlined its sustainable programmes directly to MPs and Ministers. The Trust manages and protects over 5000 hectares of land and inland lakes and waters throughout Devon, Cornwall and West Somerset including Stithians Lake in my constituency: a great example of the ‘Big Society’ in action.
Thursday, 3 March 2011
Catching up with constituents
During the recess of Parliament last week it was great to be at home – despite the wind and rain. It was a great chance to catch up with a wide range of constituents in both one-to-one meetings in my advice surgeries or at their places of work around the constituency, so here is a quick gallop through a few of my meetings.
Supporting local employers is always a top priority. Like many people, I am dismayed at the legacy of growing unemployment for young people. I am pleased that the new apprenticeships the coalition is funding are making a difference to local businesses and young people. During my visit to Falmouth Marine School, I learnt that all the young people who have completed their excellent courses in marine engineering and decided to pursue a career in this area have done just that. Fugro Seacore, a world-leading local engineering company, is growing and employing more apprentices who usually go on to full-time employment in a range of marine engineering roles. Last year it recruited 40 or so new employees to support new contracts like the one signed last week for seabed fixings for a marine power installation in Scotland.
I very much enjoyed visiting GE Money in Truro. While most private enterprise in Cornwall is home-grown, it is good to have some multi- nationals that provide a career structure which links people working in Truro to the rest of the world. I was impressed with the company's practical activities that are enabling members of staff to improve their own health with good eating, exercise and taking part in community activities such as beach-cleans.
I was pleased to meet the team from Natural England to learn more about their important work in the South West, and no week is complete without a visit to Falmouth Docks, this time to meet union representatives at A&P Falmouth and a quick visit to RFA Mounts Bay.
There was good news at my meeting with Andy Brigden and the maritime team at Cornwall Council, as the Environment Agency has approved the funding for the flood defence works for Truro. I was very pleased to learn about the proposed Newham BID (Business Improvement District) and will continue to support the development of this important part of Truro.
I very much appreciated the time the management team at Tremough gave me to update me on developments at both UCF (University College Falmouth) and Exeter University. These are challenging times for both partners as the recent investments in the campus are moving off the drawing board on to the building sites.
While the next 18 months will see a real boost to local construction jobs, the long-term benefits for both students and local businesses are exciting.
Graduates of UCF are employed by some of the fastest- growing sectors in the UK economy: fashion, design and the digital economy.
Finally, as patron of the Falmouth Memory Café I was delighted to spend an hour joining in the warm, friendly atmosphere of the café as well as enjoying a delicious home-made tea. The thoughtful afternoon's activities prepared by the volunteers were enjoyed by the guests and carers alike.
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
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