SP Energy Networks and Busnes@LlandrilloMenai have partnered to deliver skills to would-be energy sector recruits across north and mid Wales.

The companies are running an overhead line training course. Trainees will gain experience to work on the electricity network and help them apply for roles across a range of businesses in north and mid Wales who support SP Energy Networks and deliver energy related services.

The course aims to train overhead line personnel over a 22-week period using a mix of classroom-based electrical theory and in-field practical training. Seventy people are expected to benefit front the course over two years.

Once training is complete, people can apply their training by working in the electricity networks industry.

Liam O’Sullivan, Licence Director of SP Energy Networks, said: “Our communities are at the heart of everything we do and we’re committed to recruiting and training people within these communities.

“Our work with Busnes@LlandrilloMenai and our dedicated contractor service partners has allowed us to open a new overhead line training course. This means we will have a wealth of trained experts on hand to support us across all of North and Mid Wales in the event of power cuts or bad weather, while also supporting with the delivery of our ED2 business plan.”

On meeting with the new trainees, he added: “It’s been fantastic to see how engaged the students are with the course and to join them on a day of training. We have no doubt many of them will be helping us out in the not-too-distant future and we hope to see even more recruits join the next course running this summer.”

The overhead line training course is delivered at Busnes@LlandrilloMenai’s Centre for Infrastructure Skills and Technology (CIST) at Llangefni.

This is not the first time a course like that has been offered by SP Energy Networks. In 2013, a similar course was run by the network operator training a total of 35 trainees.

Over a decade later 25 of those trainees are still applying their trade today, with two having started their own businesses that help and support SP Energy Networks’ service partners.