Over 150 apprentices have now joined the Sizewell C project – with two thirds (67%) of those from the project’s host county of Suffolk.
Sizewell C will recruit at least 1,500 apprentices during the course of construction, with 540 of those to come from Suffolk. With 166 now on board, the project has already surpassed 10% of its commitment.
The current apprenticeships cover a wide range of areas, including project management, civil and nuclear engineering, countryside worker, cyber security, construction quantity surveyor, health and safety and environment, and project controls professional.
Daisy, 18, was the 150th apprentice to join the project, on a Project Management apprenticeship with the University of Suffolk. Daisy, who has lived in Suffolk all her life and attended Farlingaye High School in Woodbridge, is the first in her family to work on a nuclear power project.
Daisy said: “I joined the Young Sizewell C programme when I was at school, so I was aware there were a lot of opportunities coming out of the project. It was a really simple process to sign up.
“There’s actually someone else from my school doing the same Project Management apprenticeship too – which was a real surprise when I turned up for the induction! It’s just amazing to have a project of this size on our doorstep.”
The latest milestone was announced today at the project’s bi-annual local community forum, which celebrated many of the young people involved with the project and in the local community, including its Sizewell C Youth Council. The Youth Council is made up of students from a local secondary school, Alde Valley Academy, who provide insight into the project and who benefit from unique insights and experiences, including a trip to 10 Downing Street and a meeting with the former Prime Minister, Kier Starmer. Fourteen students from the school have so far secured apprenticeships on the Sizewell C project.
Beyond Boundaries programme aims to change lives of new cohort
A new cohort from the Beyond Boundaries programme also started this month, some of which were also at today’s community forum. The programme, delivered by Sizewell C’s social partner Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality (ISCRE), launched in October as a two-year pilot to help 15 to 21-year-olds build the skills, confidence, and connections needed to access sustainable, well-paid careers – with 20 people making up the latest cohort.
Cyril, 18, is one of the latest cohort on the Beyond Boundaries scheme: “One of my childhood friends, Sean, took part in this programme last year. I saw how it helped him improve his life, and I would like to benefit from the programme in the same way. I want to learn what to say in interviews and how to express myself confidently without going quiet.”
The first cohort of 20 participants delivered significant results, including one participant securing a full-time role directly with Sizewell C, three getting full-time roles with other local companies, one securing an apprenticeship with a local company, two securing university places, and one participant finding a place on a summer internship at Sizewell C.
Aleksandra Kasinska, ISCRE’s Project Lead for Beyond Boundaries, said: “Sizewell C’s investment in apprenticeships and programmes such as Beyond Boundaries is helping to turn potential into real opportunities for young people across our region.
“Beyond Boundaries provides a valuable route into skilled employment by supporting young people who face additional barriers to access opportunities, build their confidence, skills and networks, and connect them with employers and mentors.
“These initiatives demonstrate the importance of investing in young people, widening access to careers, and ensuring that talent and ambition, rather than background or circumstances, determine future possibilities.”
Funding Beyond Boundaries is part of Sizewell C’s commitment to creating opportunities for local people and ensuring the project delivers lasting benefits across Suffolk. Through its wider outreach programme, Sizewell C works with local authorities, education providers, businesses, charities and community organisations to support regional growth, develop skills, and create long-term opportunities for local communities.
Archaeology is currently underway on College on the Coast, the project’s permanent post-16 college and apprentice hub in Leiston – part of an education campus that will also include a centre of excellence. Planning permission was granted in July and a first spade in the ground is expected this year.
And earlier this month, work also started on The Lound Civil Campus project at East Coast College: a major new training hub that will equip up to 3,000 learners with the engineering and construction skills needed to help deliver Sizewell C and future Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) across the UK.
The project is being supported by £2.1m from the Asset Skills Enhancement and Capability (ASEC) Fund, part of a £7.8m package secured through the Sizewell C planning process and which is jointly managed by Suffolk County Council, East Suffolk Council and Sizewell C.
Nigel Cann, CEO of Sizewell C, said: “Major infrastructure projects like ours have a unique opportunity and a responsibility to connect young people with real jobs, real skills, and long-term careers. We want every young person, whatever their background or postcode, to see a future for themselves in engineering, construction, and the industries that will power the UK’s future.
“As a former apprentice, I’ve experienced first-hand how apprenticeships can transform lives and open opportunities that might otherwise have seemed unattainable. That’s the kind of legacy I want this project to leave – and I’m delighted we’ve surpassed 150 apprentices already.
“Programmes like Beyond Boundaries are also an important part of how we can raise aspirations and create as many pathways to opportunity as possible – with a million people not in education, employment, or training in the UK, these pathways are more important than ever.”
