The ceremony, held near Selby in North Yorkshire, brought together apprentices from across the company’s UK operations to celebrate the outstanding contribution they have made to Drax.
Notable winners included 20-year-old Oliver Feeney, a Logistics Graduate Apprentice from Selby, who picked up the Graduate Apprentice of the Year award for his work at Drax Power Station.
Oliver was recognised for his outstanding dedication to developing his skills and behaviours and was commended by the judges for his excellent work ethic, positivity and willingness to learn.
On receiving his award, Oliver said: “I am very proud to have won the award and to see that all my work has being appreciated during the first year of my apprenticeship. I look forward to continuing my development in both the academic and professional aspects of my apprenticeship in the next couple of years.”
Other young apprentices from across Drax were also recognised at the event. PMO (project management office) apprentice Faith Roberts, 20, based at Drax’s Northampton office, was awarded Business Apprentice of the Year. Faith was commended for her bravery at taking on new challenges along with her desire to learn and was even earmarked as a strong future leader and a fantastic role model for other apprentices.
Faith said: “It has been lovely to hear all the positive feedback from my team and the wider group. Knowing that my work has had a positive impact on colleagues has been very nice.”
Ian Kinnaird, Drax’s FlexGen Assets Director, was one of the hosts at the awards nights, and he commended on the hard work and achievements of all Drax’s apprentices. “It’s incredibly rewarding to offer young people the chance to kick-start their careers through our apprenticeship programme at Drax,” he said. “Our apprentices bring with them a wealth of unique talents and fresh perspectives that enrich our work environment, and provide opportunities for all of us to learn and grow.
“I want to congratulate all the award winners and nominees, and they should take great pride in their accomplishments. We are excited to support their continued development and look forward to seeing how their careers evolve here at Drax.”
This year’s winners were:
- Nathan Harbinson – The Paul Chambers Outstanding Achievement Award
- Oliver Feeney – Graduate Apprentice of the Year
- Faith Roberts – Business Apprentice of the Year
- Owen Moran – Craft Apprentice of the Year 1
- Martin Meechan – Craft Apprentice of the Year 2
- Nathan Harbinson – Craft Apprentice of the Year 4
- Mason Thomas – Technical Apprentice of the Year 1
- Ryan Stocks – Technical Apprentice of the Year 2
- Dylan Hall-Parkes – Technical Apprentice of the Year 3
- Nathan Taylor – Technical Apprentice of the Year 4
Craft and technical apprenticeship programmes at Drax span four years and offer new recruits an opportunity to work alongside highly qualified engineers, gaining skills in three key engineering disciplines: Mechanical, Electrical, and Control & Instrumentation. Drax also offers apprenticeship opportunities to areas in business support such as HR, cyber security, IT, facilities, and network security.
With plans for deploying bioenergy with carbon capture (BECCS) at Drax Power Station along with the expansion of its new pumped storage hydro site at Cruachan in Scotland, opportunities for apprentices at Drax continue to grow, giving the next generation of engineers the tools to succeed.
ENDS
Media contacts:
Kieran Wilson
E: [email protected]
T: 07729092807
About Drax
Drax’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Our strategic aims are to be a global leader in both carbon removals and sustainable biomass pellet production, and to be a UK leader in dispatchable, renewable generation.
Our operations
Drax owns and operates a portfolio of flexible, low-carbon and renewable UK power assets – biomass, hydro, and pumped storage generation – which provide dispatchable power and system support services to the electricity grid.
We are the UK’s largest source of renewable power by output, and Drax Power Station is the UK’s largest single source of renewable electricity by output.
Through our pellet production facilities in North America, Drax is the world’s second largest producer of sustainable biomass. Drax has 18 operational and development pellet production sites which will have a nameplate capacity of around 5.4 million tonnes once expansions are complete.
Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK industrial and commercial customers, offering a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.
Our future
Drax is progressing options for carbon removals using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology globally and at our UK biomass power station. We are progressing plans to develop 7 million tonnes of carbon removals through BECCS by 2030.
In 2024, we launched Elimini, a US-based company to lead our global efforts to deliver carbon removals at megaton scale. Elimini’s purpose is to remove carbon for good. To achieve this, it is convening engineers, environmentalists, communities, investors, and innovators to scale the market for carbon removals, with the aspiration of transforming our economies from carbon emitters to carbon removers. For more information, visit elimini.com.
