Bright future for Heysham 1 apprentices

A group of local young people are celebrating a milestone moment in their careers with the completion of their nuclear apprenticeships.

Heysham 1 power station is welcoming four new technicians onto the team following their graduation.

Liam Bryan (23, Morecambe), Phil Shentall (23, Lancaster), Lily Garwood (22, Morecambe) and Cole Parkin (23, Lancaster) graduated alongside apprentices from across the EDF’s UK nuclear fleet at a special ceremony in Bridgewater, Somerset

Liam Bryan was named Heysham 1's apprentice of the year at the event, and said, “The opportunities and experiences that the apprenticeship has given me are world class. These lessons will help me, as I continue the journey with EDF. It has been hard work but I have enjoyed every moment.”

Completion of the four year Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technician (MOET) apprenticeship programme marks the end of a four-year journey, paving the way for a career in helping Britain to achieve the government’s ambition of becoming Net Zero by 2050.

Maintenance Manager Greg Facey, said: “I couldn’t be more proud. This talented group of individuals spent their first two years down at Bridgwater learning the basics and a lot of theory, followed by another two years back here on site at Heysham, the largest operational nuclear site in the UK.

“This is a massive achievement for them, marking the first step of a long, fruitful career in the energy sector and we wish them all the best going forward. This opens up a lot of opportunities through the lifecycle of the plant and they are an inspiration to the future apprentices that we will welcome here at Heysham 1.”

Jon Pride, Maintenance Team Leader and Apprentice Co-ordinator, added, “This has been an exciting time for our apprentices as they have really been able to put the skills they have learnt at Bridgewater and on site, to the test. Like Greg, I am hugely proud of what they have achieved and will continue to support them on their journey as part of this brilliant team.”