Reading-based Enviromena is developing and constructs renewable energy projects in the UK and Italy. Across Britain alone, by next year it intends its portfolio to exceed 500 MW.

The firm prides itself on recruiting staff from outside the renewables sector, offering opportunities for people to diversify their skills.

Now the company is launching an apprenticeship programme which it hopes will attract a new wave of talent keen to get involved in an exciting and emerging sector.

First up is a role within the developer’s finance department.  It will combine on-the-job training at Enviromena’s head office in Grazeley, Reading, offering study to secure a Level 3 AAT Accountancy Diploma. Tuition will be delivered by accountancy training provider First Intuition in Reading.

“This is a great opportunity for a hard-working problem solver who is interested in business and finance to start a rewarding career in accountancy” said James Armitage, the firm’s financial controller.

“Enviromena is growing rapidly and this is a very exciting time to join the renewables industry. The successful candidate will study for a professional qualification while gaining hands-on work experience in our fast-paced business.”

The firm’s senior finance officials will support the apprentice’s development, in a role offering exposure to a wide range of areas within the finance function.

The apprenticeship is expected to last 18 months. Enviromena offers competitive pay, 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays.  On achieving AAT Level 3, the right candidate would be supported with AAT Level 4 study.

Applicants will need a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grade C/4 or above, including Maths and English, and preferably three A-Levels at grades A to C. Good team players, they should have strong written and verbal communication skills, great attention to detail and be highly motivated.

“With students completing their exams soon and thinking of their next move, I’d highly recommend this opportunity to anyone looking to build a career in finance. There has never been a better time to join the clean energy industry and be part of its incredible growth trajectory,” said James.

A full job description is here. Applicants are invited to email their CV and a few details about why they would like to work with Enviromena.   Email those documents to ukfinance@Enviromena.com.   The closing date is 30 June 2024.

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Cable maker XLCC has signed papers to turn EdF’s defunct, decommissioned former nuclear plant at Hunterston, on the Ayrshire coast, into Europe’s biggest fabrication spot for high value, long distance DC cables, or ‘interconnectors’ as the jargon calls them.

Demand is booming worldwide in the cables business.  XLCC reckons its revamped factory will need up to 900 top-skilled staff.  Now it is setting up a centre to train them.

The manufacturer has signed a lease on premises in Irvine, north Ayrshire, to house a dedicated hub for passing tech savvy to the next generation.  Primed with its first students – pictured, the training hub will be in full swing by June.

Underpinning XLCC’s ambitions is its relationship to Essex-based Xlinks, the giga-project using £16 Billion from investors including Octopus Energy and its boss Greg Jackson among others, to port current from southern Morocco’s solar & wind farms via four 3,000 kilometre DC links under the Atlantic littoral, linking with Britain’s National Grid on landfall in north Devon.

Xlinks announced last month that industry alumnus James Humfrey is to be its new CEO.

XLCC’s lease on its 12,500 sq ft training site in Irvine was secured with the support of Scottish Enterprise, which provided a £200,000 grant towards its fit-out. The new centre will be XLCC’s main training hub for its cable jointer apprentices and workers in the Hunterston factory.

The specialist firm says the training centre’s location offers chances to develop relationships with employers in Scotland’s industrial south-west. These, says XLCC, can benefit to become the foundation of its preferred suppliers when the Hunterston factory reaches peak output later this decade.

The first cohort of the cable-maker’s skilled tradesfolk for tomorrow began their courses in October. Apprentices are working toward NC, HNC or HND in Electrical Engineering accreditations, depending on previous qualifications, and on day release. The course has been designed in partnership with Ayrshire College.

Recent board level appointments at XLCC include engineering leader Vegar Syrtveit Larsen’s arrival as its chief technology officer.

Company operations director Alan Mathers said: “The Irvine facility gives us a platform to deliver a very high standard of training for our apprentices, with a focus on cable jointing.

“We are proud to be playing a central role in stimulating economic growth in north Ayrshire and making a positive difference to community life.”

Adrian Gillespie, CEO of Scottish Enterprise, said: “We continue to work closely with XLCC as it seeks to address the growing global demand for HVDC subsea cables, themselves crucial for the energy transition. The establishment of this new Training Centre is an important milestone as the company seeks to deliver its ambitious plans for Scotland, by helping to ensure it has the highly skilled workforce it needs now and in the future.

“This transformational project also provides significant economic opportunities for the local supply chain in Ayrshire and beyond.”

Frank Mitchell, chair of Skills Development Scotland, said: “Ayrshire has a long and proud history of passing on skills through apprenticeships. In investing in these fantastic new facilities, XLCC are offering future generations of local talent a direct route into high-quality enduring careers. This project demonstrates the value that forward-thinking employers place on apprenticeship pathways, generating the skills needed to deliver a Zero Carbon future”.

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As the Sunak government equivocates over the nation’s green future, approves fossil fuel jobs from the Rosebank oilfield and defends motorists from an imaginary “war”, young people appear from E.on’s research already to be following a vision which the nation’s departing leaders lack.

E.on asked market research firm 3Gem 2023 to quiz 2,000 young adults on their training intentions as they enter Britain’s workforce.

School leavers are questioning the need to go to university, with two in three  – 66% – telling E.on’s researchers the cost of traditional higher education is too high.  Forty-four per cent believe a degree apprenticeship is the best path to starting a green career.

A majority of school leavers – or 60% of 16-18 year olds – want to go straight into employment to get a head start in their career, the researchers found.

The energy supplier’s study is confirmed by official figures. UCAS, the body supervising university & college admissions, found this year that 430,000 students expressed an interest in apprenticeships, a 180% increase since 2021.

Young people are increasingly making the link between their personal environmental credibility and the way they earn their living.  51% told E.on’s researchers they know their personal climate actions will be scrutinised if they work in a green role.   Seven in 10 state they’re look for such employment so they can play their part in taking climate action.

Misconceptions linger, though.  Two in five young adults believe green jobs must take place in outside in nature (40%) or think green jobs don’t pay very well (39%).

German-based E.on released the research as it sought to publicise its own UK apprenticeship schemes.  It currently has almost 200 new learners working on over 50 different schemes in skills covering engineering, project management and supply chain leadership, as well as skills in customer service, accountancy, HR, legal and cyber security.

E.on UK boss Chris Norbury commented: “It’s incredibly positive that young people are actively looking to build a green career and are keen to join organisations that are focused on helping people become more sustainable.

“Industries working towards Net Zero are already creating thousands of exciting new jobs that deliver personal and professional fulfilment for people all over the UK”, Norbury went on.

Degree apprenticeships – where people earn as they learn within an organisation while undertaking a degree which is paid for by their employer – are increasingly appealing to young Brits.

Almost half – 48% – of young people believe a degree apprenticeship is the best path to starting a green career after school, compared to just 29% who think traditional higher education such as university would help them secure a green job.

Careers expert Helen Tupper, author of ‘The Squiggly Career’ and co-founder of the ‘Amazing If’ podcast, added: “There’s no longer a default for what ‘good’ career development looks like. That means younger generations have more freedom to progress their careers in ways that work for them.

“Apprenticeships are a great example of how Millennials and Gen Z are beginning to determine their own development, allowing them to learn quickly and develop their skills in a variety of roles”,  Tupper advised.

With sustainability and climate considerations high on the agenda for younger generations, apprenticeships within organisations that are focused on these areas are helping people to combine their purpose with their progression.”

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