Sizewell C and Inspire extend Suffolk youth partnership for two more years

Sizewell C has renewed its partnership with the youth charity Inspire for a further two years, with about 150 young people in Suffolk expected to join the Team programme, which the project and its supply chain will support with placements, workplace visits and industry contacts.

The nuclear developer said on 27 October that it and its supply chain partners would support the work experience and employer engagement stages of Team, the King's Trust's 12-week personal development programme that Inspire delivers locally.

Participants aged 16 to 25 are expected to take part across Ipswich, Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds over the next year, Sizewell C said.

Jack Raven, Sizewell C's Senior Regional Sustainability Project Manager, said: "We're acutely aware of the challenges many young people are facing accessing and securing work, particularly in Suffolk, so we're hopeful this programme, and activity like it, can make a difference."

Schools work

The renewed agreement also extends to younger pupils. Sizewell C will fund Inspire sessions at Alde Valley Academy and Ipswich Academy, where the charity will work with Year 9 students on skills for work and life.

Sizewell C said the aim was to help those pupils explore future pathways, build confidence and stay engaged with their education, while the Team strand gives those nearer to employment direct contact with employers.

Andy Crump, Inspire's CEO, said: "It is difficult for a young person to picture themselves in a career if they have never seen that workplace, met someone doing the job or been given the chance to show what they can do."

Inspire says on its website that it helps 2,500 young people across Suffolk each year.

History of the partnership

Sizewell C's latest release says it has worked with Inspire since 2017. A separate Sizewell C release dated 14 December 2020 announced a partnership in which the project joined forces with Inspire Suffolk and Access Community Trust.

That 2020 announcement described community hubs offering education support, work readiness, work experience, employment support, schools outreach, mental health and housing services. Terry Baxter, then CEO of Inspire Suffolk, said at the time that the partners could cover an area stretching from north Essex, across Suffolk, up to Norfolk.

In June 2024, Sizewell C staff and supply chain colleagues volunteered to refresh the outdoor areas of Inspire's Lowestoft building. Danielle Wright, Inspire's Operations Manager, described the help from Sizewell C, ABP and their teams as transformational.

By January 2026, Sizewell C listed Inspire as one of six social partners, alongside ISCRE and Access Community Trust.

Skills commitments

The partnership sits within wider local employment pledges made by the project. Sizewell C has pledged 540 apprenticeships for Suffolk, and said at its final investment decision in July 2025 that the project would create 1,500 apprenticeships in total and directly support 10,000 jobs at peak, with up to 60,000 more in the supply chain.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said on 22 July 2025 that 70% of the value of construction is set to go to British businesses, and confirmed the government would take an initial 44.9% stake as the single biggest equity shareholder.

Sizewell C said more than £330m of contracts had been signed with local businesses at the point of the investment decision. By January 2026, it said it had awarded almost £1bn of contracts to businesses across the East of England.

Leo Long, a Team programme participant, said in the release that meeting new people and experiencing new things was making him more excited about what comes next.

The renewed partnership runs for two years, with about 150 Team participants expected to take part over the coming 12 months.