Thales UK today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the award-winning Bridgwater College in Somerset.

The MoU sets out a framework for collaboration on the development of industry-led, next generation curricula, and places Thales as a Critical Technology Partner for the College’s Advanced Engineering Centre and the Southern hub of the new National College for Nuclear (NCfN).

NCfN is part of the Government’s National College initiative aimed at addressing current and future vocational skills gaps for national strategic industries, including HS2, Advanced Manufacturing and wind technologies. They will be employer-led, and target advanced and higher level technical skills.

Under the terms of the MoU, Thales will combine its expertise and pedigree in high-tech ICT, cyber & physical security, digital enterprise solutions, analytics, sensors and design driven innovation with Bridgwater College’s leading education and curriculum expertise, to co-design and deliver cyber training programmes for nuclear operations.

Both parties have also committed to the development of a Thales-sponsored Design Centre. Building on the success of the Thales Eureka Challenge already running in partnership with the College, the Design Centre will bring industry, SMEs, the education sector and students together to collaborate on real-life projects using design-driven innovation methodologies.

The agreement was signed by Gareth Williams, UK Vice President for Secure Communications and Information Systems activities at Thales and Andy Berry, Vice Principal of Bridgwater College.

Thales is recognised globally for its system integration capabilities and its unrivalled expertise in security, information systems and communication networks. The Group draws on this extensive experience to provide highly capable, scalable solutions for existing critical infrastructure of all sizes and levels of complexity.

Whether for industrial facilities, government establishments, ports, airports or other public buildings, Thales proposes the best solution for each type of installation to counter specific sets of risks and threats, today and tomorrow.

With a full range of innovative, high-performance, scalable solutions, Thales provides ongoing assurances of the long-term security of critical infrastructure, operations, personnel and data to guarantee business continuity under all circumstances.

A trusted partner of critical infrastructure operators for more than 20 years, Thales provides security solutions for over 400 critical installations worldwide:

• Dubai Airport (United Arab Emirates)
• New commercial port of Doha, Qatar
• Gas installations, Russia
• New French defence ministry headquarters in Paris, France
• Mecca holy sites, Saudi Arabia
• Louvre Museum, France
• Fleury-Mérogis prison, France

Bridgwater College has an excellent reputation, regionally and nationally, as a highly successful provider of education and training; it has held an Ofsted ‘outstanding’ rating for 13 years and won an unprecedented 14 Association of Colleges (AoC) National Beacon Awards. In 2016 in was named FE College of the Year by the Times Educational Supplement, and was awarded a highly prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Award for Higher and Further Education, one of only four colleges nationally to achieve this accolade.

The College’s position at the forefront of technical and professional training hinges on its world class, innovative and exemplary model of employer engagement. Private sector investment resulting from close employer partnerships means that it is thriving in economic conditions that have seen many colleges forced into partnerships and mergers, and this investment in buildings, facilities and curriculum is delivering huge benefits for learners, business and the local community.

Andy Berry, Vice Principal of Bridgwater College said,

“Our partnership with Thales UK offers a wealth of exciting opportunities for students and staff alike. Their knowledge and expertise will help to ensure that the training we offer to our future engineers and technicians is of the highest calibre and fully equips them for work in this fast-moving and ever-changing sector. As the largest provider of engineering apprenticeships in the South West, and host to the flagship National College for Nuclear, Thales UK is crucial to our strategy of developing and delivering higher level skills that sit at the cutting-edge of global technology.”