Fifteen year old Suffolk student joins Sizewell B

A fifteen year old student from Saxmundham has joined Sizewell B this week to get a taste for the world of work.

Scarlett Pastor from Saxmundham Free School opted to join Sizewell B for her work experience after meeting the power station team at a science workshop for girls in Ipswich.

So far Scarlett has enjoyed time with the visitor centre guides at the station, helping with tours from Alde Valley Academy and Lowestoft College.  She has also helped to plan the summer campaign of activities for children visiting the station, giving a unique perspective on what young children would enjoy.  Scarlett will be putting her new found knowledge to the test today by even assisting with one of the public presentations.

Speaking about the work experience, Scarlett said:  “My school came and had a tour of Sizewell B and I thought the station looked a really interesting place to work.  I am not sure what I want to do when I leave school but this is giving me a good idea of the sorts of careers out there.  I didn’t realise that you don’t just have nuclear physicists at the station there are loads of different jobs!”

EDF Energy employs 800 people at Sizewell B with over 1,000 more staff during refuelling and maintenance work every 18months. EDF Energy has also completed Stage Two consultation for Sizewell C which would create 5,600 jobs during the core peak construction period and 900 staff when the station is operational.

The company also invests heavily in research and development and digital innovation across the UK in homes, businesses and electricity generation.

Paul Morton, Sizewell B Station Director, said:  “It’s always good to welcome work experience students to Sizewell B, we find it is a great way to let students know about the career possibilities throughout our business.  I am particularly pleased to hear that Scarlett found out about us through a school visit to the station and a science workshop we held for girls in Suffolk as it shows our education programme is reaching students and having a positive effect.”

EDF Energy’s Pretty Curious programme aims to inspire young girls to consider science-based careers and help them to visualise themselves working in these jobs in the future. The Pretty Curious* event in Ipswich which Scarlett took part in attracted hundreds of girls interested in science giving them  hands-on STEM challenges using electronics kits and virtual reality technology, as well as learning more about the tech behind social media and ‘connected home’ devices.

The Sizewell B visitor centre is open for school and public visits, to find out more details please contact sizewellbtours@edf-energy.com or 01728 653974

About the Pretty Curious programme

Pretty Curious is a long-term programme from EDF Energy to address the critical under-representation of women working in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths). It aims to demonstrate the breadth of career opportunities available through pursuing science-based subjects at school and provides teenage girls with hands-on STEM experiences at workshops and events.

The Pretty Curious programme is one of many initiatives EDF Energy runs to encourage young people into STEM and also support women in its business. Over 900 male and female employees are part of EDF Energy’s Women’s Network, which runs mentoring schemes, a development programme and a variety of events aimed at supporting women. Its award-winning education programme, The Pod, reaches over 60% of UK schools.

EDF Energy is a Times Top 50 Employer for Women, a founding member of the POWERful Women initiative and is the only energy company to have achieved the National Equality Standard, the UK’s most comprehensive assessment of diversity and inclusion in business.

For more information, please visit the EDF Energy Pretty Curious website: edfenergy.com/prettycurious