Jovita Beeston – Balance of Plant Technician Apprentice at ScottishPower Renewables  

Not many people can claim to work in an industry that is quite literally changing the world by providing a solution to the biggest problem of our lifetime; climate change. But I can.

I started my career at ScottishPower in 2020 as one of the first ever offshore wind apprentices recruited by the Renewables team. I’m currently two years into my three-year apprenticeship programme, based out of East Anglia ONE – ScottishPower’s recently completed windfarm off the Suffolk coast.

I discovered the crucial role offshore wind has to play in achieving a cleaner energy future while I was enrolled on the Engineering course at the University Technical College Norfolk. From my very first day, it was like a light had lit up inside me and I knew right then that it was the job for me and that this was the career I needed to pursue.

I love the combination of the practical, hands-on element of engineering, mixed with the more analytical, problem-solving aspects of the job. Every day I go to work and feel like I’m part of the solution, and that’s incredibly rewarding.

Women were traditionally underrepresented in the engineering industry, however, as one of ScottishPower’s first offshore apprentices, I feel incredibly lucky to be able to demonstrate a clear pathway for other women to work in a green industry, generating the clean, renewable energy that will power our daily lives.

Working for an industry – and a company – that only produces 100% green, clean energy and reduces the need for fossil fuels, also gives me a huge sense of pride. Even in my own life, I’ve become much more mindful about the energy I use, and I think that’s because energy generation is such a big part of my day-to-day role.

Whether I’m offshore on site, or at the onshore base learning how to ensure the turbines on East Anglia ONE keep turning, I have a front row seat to the production of the clean energy we need for a zero-carbon future – something not a lot of people have the privilege to witness so early on in their career.