£6 million investment in apprenticeships to power future energy

From dispensing medicines to delivering power, Suffolk woman Jody Clarke is among 55 new apprentices enlisted by UK Power Networks to play a key part in Britain’s clean energy future.

Jody, from Mildenhall, is 36 and has worked in healthcare since she was 18.

She will now train to fit equipment in electricity substations in the Bury St Edmunds area and said: “I wanted to do something completely different and build my skills. I was really apprehensive at first as it’s out of my knowledge base, but the assessment day made me really want this.”

Her children, aged 16 and 13, are excited about their mum’s new role and Jody said: “I want to qualify and help make this career more accessible for younger girls – I will be shouting out the message.”

Other local new apprentices, who beat off stiff competition from more than 2,000 applicants to win their roles, include:

• Kobe Griffin, 17, from Ipswich, is a former Holbrook Academy student training as a substation fitter in Colchester.
• Justin Rose, 46, from Haverhill, is retraining as a cable jointer, in Braintree, after working as a telecoms engineer.
• John Edmeades, 35, from Beccles, is an electrician retraining as a cable jointer, in Norwich. 
• Andrew Peck, 41, from Thurston, is retraining to be a cable jointer for UK Power Networks Services in Bury St Edmunds, having spent eight years as a telecoms engineer.
• Noah Samson, 22, from Stowmarket, co-ordinated a trial of driverless trucks at Felixstowe docks before retraining as a substation fitter for UK Power Networks Services based in Bury St Edmunds.

The six from Suffolk are stepping into critical trades to maintain reliable power supplies to 20 million people across the East of England, South East and London, supporting Britain’s transition to low-carbon power.

The foundation and experienced apprentices are part of the firm’s evolving workforce to help meet a growing demand for electricity and enable more solar energy, electric vehicle chargers and heat pumps. 

Charlie Aston, engineering trainee manager at UK Power Networks, said: “Our apprenticeships nurture local talent and prepare the technical energy experts of tomorrow to power our regions’ future.

“We are building a strong, skilled workforce drawn from the very communities we serve, enabling recruits from Suffolk to play a vital role in maintaining, connecting and upgrading the electricity network for homes and businesses and helping power Britain’s low-carbon future.”

The firm has invested £6 million in its apprenticeship programme this year, which has won several awards including national recognition from the Department for Education. Applications for apprenticeships starting in September 2026 are open now, see www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/careers