Bridgwater and Taunton College has moved quickly to help develop the skills apprentices will need to pursue a career at one of the country’s biggest construction projects for a generation.

Hinkley Point C power station, in Somerset, will deliver the first two new nuclear reactors to be built in the UK for more than 20 years. Construction began last December and electricity is due to start being generated from the new reactors in 2025. There will eventually be 4,000 workers on site, including 1,200 steel fixers.

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The college, which is half an hour’s drive from the power station, will train 300 apprentices over a three-year period. This is in collaboration with construction company Bylor, a joint venture between British and French firms, which is responsible for the main civil engineering contract at the site.

There are currently only 600 steel fixers in the UK, who are 56 years old on average, so the college’s training is helping to fill an acute skills gap. With half of the current apprentices having left low-paid positions elsewhere to sign up, the college’s role in the project is not only meeting a national need but also helping those in the rural communities around Somerset into secure, full-time employment.

The judges said the college has demonstrated innovation in its response to the skills needs of the major development on its doorstep. They added: “Bridgwater and Taunton has risen to the challenge, investing in new capabilities at the college, along with the development of new national qualifications to support the needs of industry.”