SWAPPING an all-girls school for the more male-dominated engineering industry did not daunt EDF Energy’s 2018 apprentice of the year - Georgina Hines.

Georgina, 21, of Hest Bank, left Lancaster Girls Grammar School after finishing her first year of A’ levels when she secured a spot on Heysham 1’s maintenance apprentice programme four years ago.

“Making that move from the grammar school to Heysham 1 has not been an issue whatsoever, I am treated exactly the same as any other young technician on the site,” she said.

Georgina took physics, electronics, maths, and ICT ‘AS’ levels but leapt at the chance of joining the four-year apprentice programme.

“I have always preferred to be ‘hands-on’ rather than learn through lectures, so the apprentice scheme really appealed to me.

“I helped my dad around the house on small DIY jobs and I loved learning new skills in my first two years on the apprentice scheme at HMS Sultan.”

Since returning to Heysham 1, for the final two years part of training programme, Georgina has joined the site’s maintenance team as a control and instrumentation technician and in the summer took a full-time role in the department.

She is a regular at careers fairs, promoting ‘women into engineering’, the nuclear industry and the apprenticeship scheme and has also completed her Duke of Edinburgh Gold award.

“Day to day I am out on plant working on plant equipment which can vary hugely but also looking to sort out any issues we might come across. I really enjoy what I do and I wish to continue to develop my technical skills and plant knowledge, then maybe progress as an engineer.

“Ideally I’d like to take a mechatronics degree in the future but I know I have more work to do on site to learn my job.”

Her family travelled to the apprentice graduation ceremony to see her pick up the award. “I was really shocked when my name was called out. I thought I was perhaps in the running to win the Heysham 1 apprentice of the year.

“It was nice to see the team were really proud of what I had achieved when I got back to site. I am so grateful for all the help, support and development I have received from my team, team leaders and apprentice co-ordinator! I could not have done it without them.”