Somerset Chamber’s Hinkley Supply Chain Team has taken on a new Advanced Business and Administration Apprentice, 18 year old Gracie Greenslade from Taunton.
Gracie joins the Hinkley Supply Chain Team as it continues to develop the local supply chain database for the Hinkley Point C project, which now comprises more than 3,800 Somerset and South West businesses. She will be helping to manage some of the project data that is required by the team and will, in time, be handling enquiries from suppliers directly.
Before taking up her new position, Gracie completed two years at Richard Huish College, where she studied Maths, Biology and Psychology at A Level. She is carrying out her apprenticeship through Yeovil College, where she will be spending half a day every six weeks.
The majority of Gracie’s apprenticeship work will be undertaken in an office environment, both at Somerset Chamber’s offices in Taunton and Bridgwater’s Somerset Energy Innovation Centre (SEIC), where the Hinkley Supply Chain Team is also based.
Commenting on her appointment, Gracie said, “Taking this apprenticeship is a very exciting opportunity for me, a chance to get a bit of real life experience. Being a student for the last 14 years and only being 18 years old, I found it very hard to decide what to do, as education is all I’ve known up to this point. However, with such a big project like Hinkley coming up, it seemed like an amazing opportunity and that influenced my decision to go down the apprenticeship route. The role offers not only great experience in this sector but also a qualification at the same time, so for me it offered everything I wanted to help develop my career. I’m very much looking forward to my time working on the Hinkley Supply Chain Team.”
Gracie will be managed by Sam Evans, who has recently been promoted to the position of Hinkley Supply Chain Business Engagement Manager. Sam said, “We’re pleased to welcome Gracie to the team and are sure she will be a real asset. We needed someone who was able to think on their feet and pick up information fast, coupled with an enthusiasm and desire to learn. Gracie fitted that bill perfectly and has settled in well within the supply chain team already and Somerset Chamber as a whole.”
Dale Edwards, Chief Executive of Somerset Chamber of Commerce, said, “I am delighted that the Chamber is growing the Hinkley Supply Chain Team, and in particular that Gracie’s recruitment represents the Chamber’s third apprentice in as many years. Apprenticeships offer a great opportunity to develop Somerset’s future managers and leaders, and are an important part of the long-term legacy for the county that EDF Energy aims to deliver through Hinkley Point C.”
Somerset Chamber of Commerce manages the Hinkley supply chain portal for the South West and is the first point of contact for Somerset and South West businesses wishing to engage in the construction of the nuclear new build project. For information on registration, work packages and much more, visit www.hinkleysupplychain.co.uk.
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