New jobs at Wick nuclear archive 'fantastic news' for the area
CAITHNESS civic leader Willie Mackay yesterday described the additional 42 jobs at the Nucleus archive site in Wick as "fantastic news" for the area.
Councillor Mackay says he is proud the facility is to be "more extensively used in research on the British civil nuclear industry and the archive for Caithness".
Trudy Morris, chief executive of the Caithness Chamber of Commerce, is also delighted by the recruitment of the extra staff – 41 full-time and one part-time post.
"At a time of national economic uncertainty, this significant investment in job creation is to be welcomed," she said.
The new jobs are being created at the £21 million Nucleus base near Wick John O'Groats Airport which was opened by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) two years ago.
At present, the facility employs about 30 people and is taking records and data from the Dounreay site which is being decommissioned but it will then take material from Sellafield in Cumbria as well as from areas across the UK. It also incorporates the Caithness archive which was previously housed in the Bruce Buildings in Wick.
Anna McConnell, the local NDA socio-economic manager, said 30 of the jobs will be created in a new department which will sort, sift and archive the different categories of material coming in to Nucleus. It is expected it will be several months before the new recruits are in post.
She said: "These are additional jobs being created at Nucleus and is great news for the area. Those already working here can apply for the jobs so we are also creating opportunities for people who have been here a couple of years. The jobs are long-term and sustainable."
Dave Lee, the business administration manager at the facility, said there will be "extensive training" involved in the jobs.
Twenty-five posts will be in records administration, along with five team leaders in the new department.
In addition, there will be three archive and records administrators added to the existing team, four HGV drivers, four porters and a part-time health and safety officer.
Ms Morris said: "The announcement of over 40 new jobs at the Nucleus archive is welcome news both for Wick and the wider north Highlands economy. At a time of national economic uncertainty, this significant investment in job creation is to be welcomed.
"This is just one example of the exciting new developments in the north Highlands over the past few years which are creating new opportunities for the local community.
"The north Highlands, through its association with Dounreay, has played an important role in the development of the UK’s civil nuclear industry, and it is welcome to see that it will play an equally important role in securing the history of the industry for future generations."
Councillor Mackay said: "This is fantastic news for the area and the county, bearing in mind the recent projected decline in population statistics for Caithness. There are some very well-paid jobs on offer here and I’m proud to see how the Nucleus is going to be used even more extensively in the use of research on the British civil nuclear industry and the archive for Caithness."
Nucleus opened at its Wick site at the airport in February 2017.