Meet the new recruits powering SSEN to net zero in Thatcham

An energy company has welcomed a large intake of new starters at its training centre in Thatcham.

A cohort of 44 apprentices, trainee engineers, arborists, and digital learners recently attended a welcome event in Thatcham to kickstart their careers at Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), the electricity distribution network operator for central southern England.

The electricity provider is rapidly expanding its workforce after unparalleled investment in its central southern England’s network – with a further number of graduates expected to join later this month.

SSEN director of operations for central southern England Eliane Algaard said: “SSEN’s journey to building a net zero network and helping our communities to achieve their low-carbon technology goals can only come through the skillset and hard work of our teams.

“This latest intake of apprentices and trainees will be following in the footsteps of many of our valued colleagues who took the same path in their career some years ago and have gone on become the people who shape our organisation.”

Even before these new starters joined, the number of craft apprentices had already seen growth over the past few years, with 33 joining this year compared to seven in 2020.

The number of trainee engineers is also growing, with a total of 48 now in work, which the company hopes will help address skills gaps in the wider market.