Sizewell C partners with Women into Construction for nuclear power project

Announced today on International Women’s Day (March 8, 2024), the new initiative aims to tackle the barriers that might prevent women to access roles in the nuclear industry and enable Sizewell C to more easily recruit potential female employees.

The two organisations will work together to broaden access to Sizewell C through work experience placements, job application support, work placements, progression support, and other opportunities to show the breadth of roles available.

Women into Construction was originally developed in 2012 at the Olympic Park in London to increase the numbers of women working in all areas of the project’s construction, and inspire better gender balance throughout the UK construction industry.

In a statement, Damian Leydon, Sizewell C site delivery director, and formerly construction director of the Athletes’ Village for the London 2012 Olympics, said: “We know that there are barriers that prevent women from moving into construction roles like the ones on offer at Sizewell C: it’s an issue not only facing our project, but many others in the nuclear industry and across construction.

“Through this partnership, however, we can tackle those barriers head on, and it really signals our intent to engage more women in the project, especially in areas where they are currently underrepresented.”

In 2015, Women into Construction became an independent not-for-profit organisation. The organisation provides advice and guidance, training, work placements and jobs to women interested in entering the construction industry, while also helping contractors and stakeholders to address the skills shortages in construction and create a more diverse workforce.

Jacqui Wordsworth, business development director, Women into Construction, said: “Only 16 per cent of the entire workforce in the UK construction industry is represented by women and we are looking forward to working with Sizewell C to provide women in the region with the opportunity to gain valuable insights and experience into what we believe is an exciting sector and company.”

Sizewell C has this week appointed Tilly Spencer as Sizewell C’s technical director, and the project’s leadership team – under the joint leadership of Julia Pyke – is now 55 per cent female; apprenticeship recruitment has been 50 per cent female since the programme began in 2021, and the entire workforce is currently over 40 per cent female.