Sizewell C passes 500-job Ipswich pledge with 582 town residents now on the project

Sizewell C has said 582 people from Ipswich now work on the nuclear power station project on the Suffolk coast, passing the 500-job guarantee it agreed with the town's MP, Jack Abbott, in October 2024.

The developer also said it had spent nearly £100m with suppliers in the Ipswich area, up from the £45m-plus of contracts it reported at the time the agreement was signed.

The Ipswich Jobs Guarantee was launched in 2024, which Sizewell C described as the project's first year of official construction. The company said it had been supported by two dedicated jobs fairs a year and by partnerships with education providers and charities across the town.

Jack Abbott, Member of Parliament for Ipswich, said: "Today, I am delighted that Sizewell C have not only reached that target, but smashed it, all in just two years."

The original agreement

When the 500-job commitment was announced on 18 October 2024, Sizewell C described it as the first of a series of more specific regional commitments. It included working with the Department for Work and Pensions on two community-focused Sizewell C jobs fairs a year.

Julia Pyke, Joint Managing Director of Sizewell C, said at the time that around a third of the peak construction workforce had been pledged to come from East Anglia.

The size of that peak workforce is given differently in different sources. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said, when the government confirmed its final investment decision and initial 44.9% stake on 22 July 2025, that Sizewell C would support 10,000 directly employed jobs at peak construction. Sizewell C itself said in May 2026 that almost 8,000 people would work on the project at peak.

Both put the apprenticeship figure at 1,500. Sizewell C has said around a third of those will be reserved for people in Suffolk.

Suppliers

Sizewell C named Ipswich law firm Birketts, family construction firm Barnes Construction, Combat2Coffee, Tru 7 Group and Brett Aggregates among the Ipswich-area businesses that have won work on the project.

In January 2026 the company said it had awarded almost £1bn of contracts to businesses across the East of England and about £3bn to more than 400 British suppliers in total. The government has said 70% of construction value is set to go to British businesses, and Sizewell C Ltd expects 3,500 UK companies in its supply chain.

Education and skills

Sizewell C said it has partnerships and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the University of Suffolk and Suffolk New College. The college agreement includes developing a Driver and Driving Academy at the Suffolk Rural Campus in Otley and headline sponsorship of the college's FutureSkills Fair, which the company said connects more than 3,000 young people with opportunities in the region.

The Suffolk New College MoU is one of three the developer has signed with colleges, the last of them in May 2026, following an earlier agreement with East Coast College. Sizewell C said the Suffolk New College agreement also involves developing a new Civil Engineering Campus, a Construction Centre of Excellence and a Driver Academy.

Nigel Cann, CEO of Sizewell C, said: "We've made a great start, delivering life-changing opportunities for hundreds of people here, from apprenticeships and industrial placements to upskilling and adult retraining."

Social partners

Sizewell C said it signed a new two-year agreement last month with Ipswich charity Inspire to help young people across Suffolk build confidence, develop skills and gain insight into industry.

A new cohort of the Beyond Boundaries programme, run by the Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality (ISCRE) for 15 to 21-year-olds, also started last month. ISCRE launched the programme at Portman Road in October 2025 as a two-year pilot focused on confidence building, skills development, coaching and mentorship, with 25 young people in its first cohort.

The company also has a three-year agreement with Ipswich Town Foundation, announced on 3 June 2026, which includes five free Soccer Schools a year in Leiston.

Fundraising and volunteering

Sizewell C's first official two-year charity partnership, with St Elizabeth Hospice, raised £88,657, the company said. The hospice was chosen by a staff vote in August 2024 and provides free care to more than 4,000 patients and families a year at a cost of about £12m.

Staff can also volunteer with Ipswich charities including Outreach Youth and Gensis Orwell Mencap through a platform set up with Community Action Suffolk.

Sizewell C said it would soon announce a further partnership extending development opportunities to Ipswich primary schools.