A new service is set to promote career opportunities at a new nuclear site in Suffolk which will be available if the project gets the green light.

Sizewell C has launched a Jobs Service showing different roles which would become available, and helping young people and those looking for a career change in the Suffolk region to find training and education to help them towards securing work at the proposed plant.

The energy producer aims to recruit at least a third of its workforce during construction from the local area and sees its the jobs service and prospectus as key to achieving this. More than 2,500 people have already expressed an interest in joining the project.

The Jobs Service originally served the Hinkley Point C project in Somerset which is now four years into construction. It has recruited 40% of its workforce from the surrounding area against a target of 34%.

Sizewell C boss Humphrey Cadoux Hudson said: “This is another important milestone for Sizewell C. The jobs service will provide support for local people to secure long-term well-paid jobs with the project and the prospectus will guide those into the skills we need.”

Sizewell C says it is working closely with local training providers to ensure the right skills are in place locally for people to take part in the project.

The proposed power station is set to create thousands of jobs for local people in a diverse range of areas from project management through to welding, it said.

These skills are needed in a number of projects to ensure the region future proofs its workforce, providing decades of employment, it added.

Colleges and training providers in the region are highlighting courses available to support work with Sizewell C and local developers.

Suffolk New College principal Viv Gillespie said it was offering a wide range of apprenticeships and industry certified qualifications which would support the Sizewell C project.

West Suffolk College chief executive Dr Nikos Savvas said: “Our colleges across Suffolk offer a wide range of courses, apprenticeships and industry certified qualifications that are developed to support industry requirements. We deliver outstanding education which supports the Sizewell C project and the fantastic opportunities it creates for our young people and their future.”

Stuart Rimmer, chief executive of East Coast College, said his college offered a range of courses to ensure there are the required skills for jobs related to net zero targets.

The launch follows the East of England Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Sizewell C consortium, a group of 200 companies ready to build Sizewell C, the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and other stakeholders.

The MoU is based on independent research conducted by Ernst & Young. It predicts that Sizewell C could deliver a £2bn boost to Suffolk and £4.4bn to the wider East of England region.

The jobs service and prospectus can be found here