Students urge ministers to ‘give us a future’

• Young people from East Coast College call upon the Government to back Sizewell C.
• The students write to senior ministers highlighting the 1500 apprenticeships and 25,000 high skilled jobs the project will deliver
• The student letters come as unemployment in Suffolk rises 75% as Government furlough scheme ends.

Students from East Coast College in Lowestoft have written to senior figures within Government – including local MP Therese Coffey – urging them to back Sizewell C.

The Lowestoft engineering students called upon the Government to ‘give us a future’ in a letter to Alok Sharma, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Gillian Keegan, Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills and ThC)rC(se Coffey, who as well as representing the Suffolk Coastal constituency is also Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

The letter highlighted the potential for Sizewell C to create thousands of high skilled jobs in Suffolk. It adds that the increase in local employment opportunities will ensure more young people can stay in the region and contribute to its future.

This week it emerged that nearly 5.2% of the population in the East of England are out of work, compared to 4.5% nationally. According to the latest ONS labour market figures by one measure the end of the furlough scheme has seen unemployment in Suffolk rise by 75% from the same time last year.

East Coast College has engineering 320 apprentices and 542 fulltime students.

Christian Davis, 16, A student at East Coast College said: “Its incredibly exciting that I might be able to continue my career so close to home, Its pretty cool that its going to happen so close to us”

Jake Lockey, 16, A student at East Coast College said: “I kind of worry about being able to get a job especially after coronavirus, I think we need to have as many opportunities as possible that gives us a future here in Suffolk”

Rachel Bunn, Assistant Principal said: “SZC will be one of the biggest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the UK. It will provide work for thousands of high skilled engineers in areas like digital engineering and welding as well as 1500 apprenticeships throughout its decade long construction, as well as 900 jobs in operation on site I understand.