Gemma Moss: Telling the PM what Sizewell C has done for me
In June, Sir Keir Starmer announced a £14.2bn investment in Sizewell C on a visit to Suffolk New College, where he also met with local stakeholders and industry partners, including Prospect reps and our General Secretary, Mike Clancy.
Gemma Moss, an EDF apprentice and Prospect member, was among a group of apprentices and local schoolchildren who sat down with the Prime Minister to discuss their hopes and aspirations.
Here, she writes about her apprenticeship, how exciting it is working on such an important project, like Sizewell C, and what it was like meeting the Prime Minister.
Gemma Moss with the Prime Minister
To get a place on the Civil Engineering Degree Apprenticeship that I am doing, you need to have A Levels, which I have, but not the right ones, like Maths or Physics.
So, my path to where I am now, really started with a 3-year Civil Engineering Technician Apprenticeship with Suffolk County Council.
That’s where I got my Level 3 and, age-wise, it was a little bit late, but I was completely fine with that. I really enjoyed it, and it gave me an understanding of all the ins and outs of Civil Engineering.
Then EDF opened their first lot of apprenticeships for Sizewell C, and I live only two miles away from the site, so it felt like fate and the perfect transition for my career.
The course started at the end of August 2024, and it’s very long: it’ll take five and a half years.
I will be 29 when it’s finished, so I will have been in education almost my whole life, but it’s worth it. It’s all paid for, it’s a good learning opportunity and I’ll have gained many years of real career experience.
I’ve got family who work at Sizewell B and it is, quite literally, a job for life. They work on the maintenance side, but there are still civil engineers on site.
We’re not guaranteed jobs at the end of our apprenticeships but, obviously, if you’re competent, if you’re enthusiastic, like me, then hopefully the jobs are going to be there for us.
The mystery VIP at Suffolk New College
My apprenticeship lecturers are from Suffolk University and, funnily enough, we occasionally need to use Suffolk New College’s rooms and equipment. I studied my Level 3 there too, so I know the place well.
I was told on the Friday, “There’s a VIP coming in. Will you be OK to be filmed and answer some questions?”
I was like, “Yes, of course.” I’m always happy to talk on behalf of apprentices and talk about our experiences.
Naively, I thought the VIP was going to be someone like a Sizewell C director, or the chief executive of EDF.
On the day, there was a little bit of toing and froing. The VIP was meant to come to our site, then we were meant to meet them at Sizewell C in Leiston, but security implications meant we all had to be moved to Suffolk New College in Ipswich.
We were ushered into a room with a group from the local high school, where I went. I got to meet my old teacher again and the kids were all excited, so it was lovely.
Minutes before we meet this VIP, they announced, “So guys, we’re from Number 10, and you’re going to be meeting the Prime Minister.”
It was a real shock. I did not expect that, but it was great!
We were ushered into the room, and we were told where to sit accordingly. There was me, and two other current apprentices, and two future apprentices that are joining in August. Plus, there were about four or five children from the school; I think Years 7 to 9.
We were told that we’re welcome to ask him questions, but he just wants to see where you’re all from and to meet representatives from the local community.
He asked us about our courses, basically asking how good the apprenticeships are, and he asked the children if they’d want to work at Sizewell C in the future.
I explained my backstory to him as well because I was by far the oldest member of the group and my route was atypical. I told him if this opportunity had been there when I was those children’s ages, I would have jumped at it.
He was very calm and was just a normal person. Within a few minutes, you forgot that you were sitting next to the Prime Minister.
Our meeting lasted maybe 15-20 minutes. Then afterwards, we were all ushered into a large hall with students from the college and that was when he made the announcement of the £14.2 billion investment for Sizewell C.
It was a fantastic day and such an amazing opportunity. It was really inspiring, especially for those younger children. It was all voluntary, and I’ve always tried to be a ‘yes’ person.
When I come to apply for jobs in the future, maybe people will recognise me from the meeting with the PM on my social media and LinkedIn. It’s a good talking point but hopefully it will also lead them to think: “That’s Gemma, she seems like a good person, and she’s got a good work ethic.”
Joining Prospect
“My line manager is a Prospect rep for Sizewell C, so she was the one that mentioned joining to me, but I’ve encouraged the other apprentices to join up as well.
“You wouldn’t go on holiday without holiday insurance, so why would you join a company and not have that insurance for yourself? I wanted that back-up, especially as a female in a predominantly male industry.”
