The Humber has always powered the UK – and now it’s empowering the next generation too, offering high‑value career paths, whether you start as an apprentice, an intern, or a graduate. These people are playing a key role in the energy transition and ensuring vital energy security for the UK.
Ciara Foran is an Asset Performance Graduate with Humber Energy Board member VPI, based at Immingham power station. In the first of our “People Powering the Humber” series, she talks about the careers and life opportunities being shaped by pioneering energy projects in the Humber.
The Humber is the place to build a future in energy
“I moved to the Hull area last year after studying chemical engineering in Sheffield because it was clear the Humber was becoming the place to build a future in energy. The region’s traditional industries are evolving, and new projects are creating opportunities you simply don’t find in many other parts of the country.
“At VPI in Immingham, you can see that change every day. We provide steam and power to nearby industry on the South Humber Bank. But we have also built new power assets designed to tackle the challenges of a more renewables-based energy system, such as intermittency.
“One of the most significant projects is Humber Zero, our carbon capture project. As one of the first proposed users of the Viking CCS network – one of the region’s carbon capture, transport and storage systems awaiting government approval – it aims to help kickstart the decarbonisation of the UK’s most carbon intensive industrial cluster.
“But beyond its decarbonisation potential, Humber Zero can create something just as important – long-term skilled careers for young people like me.”
Building confidence, skills and long-term prospects
“When projects of this scale arrive in a region, they transform the options available to people starting out. You don’t have to leave home for work or lower your ambitions. The opportunities can be here.
“Last month, when Energy Minister Michael Shanks visited our site, I was among graduates and apprentices who talked to him about what it’s like to begin a career in a region undergoing so much change. What’s exciting for us is that we’re not watching from the sidelines, we’ll be the ones running and improving these systems for decades to come.
“My role focuses on plant performance and making systems more efficient and reliable, but VPI’s graduate programme also encourages us to explore different parts of the business. That’s exactly what young engineers need – space to learn, support to grow, and access to meaningful work.
“Not all of my fellow students from university have this clarity. Many are still looking for direction. Here in the Humber, the path is easier to see.”
We’ve got a front row seat to industrial transformation
“And this isn’t just about careers. For many of us, it’s about building a life. I have a daughter and I want her to grow up in a region where industry is strong, opportunity is close by and the future feels exciting. The Humber can give us that.
“The energy transition is often discussed in national terms, but its impact is very local. Here, it can shape young people’s lives, open doors, and give us a front‑row seat to one of the UK’s most important industrial transformations.
“The Humber isn’t just home to major energy projects; it’s also home to the next generation who are ready to carry them forward and eager to seize this exciting opportunity.”
Ciara’s story underlines why the Humber Energy Board is calling on the Government to make the positive policy decisions that will move major energy projects in the Humber from potential to reality.
Projects such as Humber Zero are primed and ready to have a transformational impact. We’re urging Ministers to give the green light for them to progress into the delivery phrase – unlocking investment, creating jobs, building confidence, boosting skills and delivering long‑term prosperity.