Recruitment drive for Sizewell C apprentices

Image: Former East Coast College student, Cody Lucas. Cody was studying a Level 3 qualification in welding at the East Coast College Lowestoft campus, when he secured an apprenticeship with Doosan Babcock which will see him start at Hinkley Point C before returning to Suffolk to work at Sizewell C.

Members of the Sizewell C Civils Programme will be assessing students in Lowestoft for apprenticeships with the project this week.

The engineering students studying at East Coast College will be hoping to impress the instructors so they can fill one of dozens of apprenticeships on offer. The apprenticeships for this latest cohort are in welding, project controls and engineering.

The day-long session will cover classroom based academic tests and practical assessments in the college workshops using equipment such as the welding bays.

Dave Whitehouse is a member of the Sizewell C civils programme running the assessments. He said: “We are proud to be supporting industry by developing the workforces of the future.

“Offering apprenticeship opportunities to Engineering students from East Coast College underpins our support to both Sizewell C and the Sizewell C Consortium to provide jobs locally.

“Developing the next generation of talent, firstly at Hinkley Point C, then transitioning to Sizewell C will support long term career paths for hundreds over the duration of the projects.”

Sizewell C aims to deliver 1,500 apprenticeships and recruit at least a third of its construction workforce from the local area. The project is working with local education providers, such as East Coast College, to ensure the skills are in place now so local people have the opportunity to work with Sizewell C.

Sizewell C will need a diverse range of skills from construction and engineering through to hospitality and project management and the Sizewell C Consortium of over 200 companies has signed an Memorandum of Understanding with the New Anglia LEP and FE Colleges to underline this commitment.

Some of those apprenticeships have already started with us and young people from Lowestoft are working at Hinkley Point C, where we are four years into construction, and will come back to Sizewell C fully qualified.

When the power station is operational, it will deliver 900 skilled well-paid roles to people living within a 25-mile radius of Sizewell. This is in addition to the 800 roles at Sizewell B where many of the managers studied at Alde Valley Academy (then Leiston High School) joining as apprentices and progressing through the organisation to become leaders of the power station.

Sizewell C will provide opportunities for all. The project is already funding courses for those furthest from the job market and will fund enhanced facilities and resources for colleges and training providers too.  This is in addition to a bursary to help young people and pre-employment training and outreach initiatives for those economically disadvantaged.