Plans unveiled for new £1m skills academy

United Utilities has unveiled plans to launch a new £1m academy which will induct and train up to 10,000 people over the next five years.

A planning application has been lodged with Wigan Council for the new United Utilities Induction Hub and Skills Academy which will be located adjacent to the M6 and A580 East Lancs Road in Haydock.

The new centre will be used by United Utilities and its Enterprise partners, a collaborative delivery model that brings together the company and seven design and construction partners to deliver major environmental and infrastructure projects as part of its £13.5 billion investment programme.

Plans for the 14‑acre site include creating 12,000 sq ft of space that will be used for future skills and career‑development training, as well as for inductions for people working on major construction projects delivered through the Enterprise.

The facility will also provide practical training courses in health and safety, HGV simulation, plant operations, lifting operations, service avoidance, traffic management, construction hazards identification and response, and frontline supervision.

Tony Slater, Enterprise Director said: “This academy will transform the way we introduce new people into the business, giving them hands-on experience and the critical skills they need to ensure we can deliver water and wastewater infrastructure schemes right across the North West.

“The facility is a game-changer, giving people the real-world skills needed for a variety of jobs.”

The Enterprise Induction Hub and Skills Academy builds on the training facilities currently offered by United Utilities, which has trained more than 400 apprentices at its state-of-the-art technical training academy in Bolton.

The company is also hiring more than 100 apprentices this year as it undertakes the biggest upgrade of water and wastewater infrastructure in more than a century.