Siemens opens Energy Service Training Centre in Newcastle

Siemens recently celebrated the official opening of its Energy Service Training Centre in Newcastle, United Kingdom. Lord Willis of Knaresborough opened the facility on November 22, 2011. This £8 million investment by Siemens provides a unique in-house training environment and experience for service technicians working on conventional and renewable power plants. This move has also helped put the North East firmly on the map as a centre of excellence for skills and training.

Siemens first established a training facility at the Newcastle site in 2008 to train service technicians working on conventional power plants – a business which serves the international power generation market. In 2009, a wind power technician training facility was added to the site.

Keith Hunter, general manager, Training Services, Siemens Energy Service, explained the rationale for the training centre: "Investing in our in-house capability was the best way to ensure quality and reliability for our customers."

Speaking about the centre, Graham Hartley, director, Siemens Energy Service Fossil said: "Given the North East's history and engineering heritage, we're incredibly proud to house the UK's only training centre combining training facilities for technicians working on wind farms and power plants."