THIRTEEN apprentices have kick started their careers at Drax Power Station – more than twice the number the UK’s power station employed two years ago.

Twelve of the new staff will be working on technical aspects, with six in mechanical positions, four in electrical and two working in the control and instrumentation teams.

Whilst the final apprentice will be joining Drax’s system security team, working to ensure the safety of all staff on site.

Andy Koss, Drax Power CEO said: “One of the highlights of my job is welcoming our newest apprentices to Drax each year – these are the people who could be the shining stars of the future, the ones who will help us to develop the new, cutting edge technologies needed to enable our business to continue to grow.

“Supporting ambitious young people to develop their skills is critical to the future success of our business. By helping them to grow and learn, we can ensure that we have the talented workforce our business and the wider Northern Powerhouse region needs to thrive.”

Drax’s technical apprenticeship scheme gives new recruits the opportunity to gain skills and expertise by working alongside some of the best engineers in the world, who have helped transform the business to become the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.

This year’s apprentices are aged between 15 and 22 with five from Goole and the rest coming from across Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

Dan Callon, was part of the successful team from Selby College, supported by Drax, which won the GreenPower EV race for schools in Hull earlier in the year.

He: “I knew I wanted to work in a hands-on, practical engineering role but didn’t want to go down the academic route. Having opportunities like this at Drax was a really good move for me.”

“I really enjoyed building and racing the electric car in the GreenPower Race which Drax organised – I got to work with some of my friends from Selby College, as well as getting advice from engineers at Drax – in the end we actually won the overall race.

said of his new apprenticeship: “I knew I wanted to work in a hands-on, practical engineering role but didn’t want to go down the academic route. Having opportunities like this at Drax was a really good move for me.”

The 17-year-old added: “I really enjoyed building and racing the electric car in the GreenPower Race which Drax organised – I got to work with some of my friends from Selby College, as well as getting advice from engineers at Drax – in the end we actually won the overall race.

“I’m looking forward to progressing my career with Drax, learning new skills and getting some good experience here.”

Simran Ley, aged 20, has also joined Drax as a technical apprentice. She said: “I knew I wanted to go down the apprenticeship route as it provides the sort of practical experience you can’t get at university. Drax is well known for its engineering, it made it an obvious choice for me to apply to.”

In the first half of 2019, Drax halved its carbon emissions compared to the year before with more than 90 per cent of the power produced being renewable – enough for more than four million households.

This was made possible as a result of the world class innovation and skill of its in house engineers who pioneered the conversion of two thirds of the power station near Selby in North Yorkshire, from coal to use sustainable biomass, delivering carbon savings of more than 80 per cent.