Hinkley Point C Project - Somerset EBP Award Winners 2023

The Hinkley Point C Project are the winners of the Somerset EBP Supported Employment – Employer of the Year Award 2023. 

Find out more about the work that has led to this accolade and how the team plan to continue to inspire the young people of Somerset.

What did your organisation do which led to you winning this award?

At HPC, we are committed to not only providing the same opportunities to everyone through our programmes, but also the support to ensure that everyone can access the same outcome.  We are proud of HPC’s commitment to its hugely successful Supported Traineeship which is a programme delivered in partnership with Bridgwater & Taunton College and Discovery Job Coaches.  The Traineeship enables local young people with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities to receive work readiness training including nuclear behaviours and health & safety content, travel training with Somerset Passenger Solutions, a bespoke HPC Site Induction and a tour of the HPC Site and Visitor Centre – all tailored to needs of these young people.  The Trainees then complete an 8-week work experience placement with one of the HPC contract partners.  HPC have funded the specialist services of Discovery’s Supported Employment Job Coaches to work with the Trainees and their families to provide support prior to, during and after the programme to ensure that their transition into the workplace is smooth and positive.  For many, this is their first experience of work but through this programme, this support has helped many to thrive and secure paid employment with their placement provider – achieving a level of independence and success we are all entitled to experience. 

What impact did you see for your organisation and the people you worked with?

Working with young people with SEND has been incredibly rewarding and insightful for the employers at HPC.  It has been a really positive learning experience, encouraging the development of whole teams and has inspired us to focus on the strengths that people with SEND can and do bring in abundance.  These young people have brought energy and positivity to their roles, adding huge value to their teams’ culture.   

However, the impact has not only been intrinsic, through this programme we have proven our commitment to achieving Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, we have accessed a wider talent pool, vacancies have been filled by incredibly loyal and hardworking individuals and retention rates are high. 

How has winning this award made a difference to your organisation?

Winning the Somerset EBP Award has made us incredibly proud.  We are thrilled that our programme has received this recognition as we work really hard, with a lot of passion, to ensure its success for everyone involved.  It’s meant we’ve really been able to fly the flag for this provision across HPC and encourage even more HPC contract partners to get involved!

What plans do you have for similar work in the year ahead?

This year we are back with an even bigger and better programme!  We’ve extended the length of the placement (it was previously 5 weeks) and incorporated more employer engagement within the training.  We have more Trainees and placement roles than ever before – we are all very excited!

Find out more about the Hinkley Point C Project: Hinkley Point C

Email Donna Brown: Donna.Brown@nnb-edfenergy.com