Power station to take on more apprentices

This year's EDF Hartlepool apprentices. The search is about to begin for the 2017 intake.

EDF Energy has started its hunt for 2017 apprentices who will join the company next September and be based at Hartlepool power station.

The campaign gets under way within weeks when staff will visit schools and colleges to promote the four-year training scheme.

And the station’s own visitor centre will hold open mornings where interested people can find out more.

The start of the apprentice recruitment process coincides with a relaunch of the national campaign to change teenage girls’ perceptions of science and inspire them to pursue science-based careers.

Last year, EDF Energy launched #PrettyCurious which is a long-term programme to encourage more teenage girls to study STEM subjects.

The programme aims to give girls hands-on experiences and provide them with opportunities to learn about the wide range of careers available in STEM.

Hartlepool power station, which took on six apprentices last year, is running information mornings at the Visitor Centre on Saturday, December 10, and Sunday, December 11.

To reserve spaces at either event, contact Nicola Spindloe at [email protected]. Details are available at edf-energy/careers – Events.

Apprentice co-ordinator Nicola Spindloe, who will visit schools and colleges to talk to students about the programme, said: “I usually take one or two of the current apprentices with me to the talks, as they can give a different insight into the training programme.”

The closure date for applications is January 15, 2017, when successful applicants will first take tests, followed by interviews and then potentially join an assessment centre before the final selection is made.

After the apprentices are chosen they and their families will be taken to see HMS Sultan – the Portsmouth-based training facility where the apprentices will spend their first two years.

Nicola said: “We know that for many of our new apprentices that it will be first time they will have left home.

“So it is important that they and their parents see what’s on offer at HMS Sultan, the accommodation as well as the leisure facilities.”

Away from the classroom the apprentices will enjoy excellent sports and leisure facilities under the watchful eye of the centre’s own team. Their journey will include cultural visits to European cities.

After two years, they return to their home sites to complete their apprenticeship with on-the-job training

Applications open on November 1, through the EDF Energy careers website at http://www.edfenergy.com/careers/