The EPC Group Ltd, a leading engineering and construction services provider based in Stockton-on-Tees, has announced a record-breaking three-year growth trajectory, doubling its profits year-on-year to evolve from a solo contracting entity into a multi-million-pound industrial enterprise.

Operating within two of the UK’s most heavily regulated, high-security, and traditionally male-dominated sectors—nuclear defence and renewable energy—The EPC Group’s rapid ascent is led by its founder and Managing Director, Emily Cooke. Balancing the immense pressures of scaling a high-stakes infrastructure business with life as a single mother, Emily Cooke has successfully navigated stringent industrial barriers to establish the firm as a major regional player.

The foundations of the company’s success trace back to Emily Cooke’s pioneering industry background. She holds the distinction of being the very first Project Controls Apprentice in the United Kingdom. Recognizing her expertise, industry bodies later selected her to write the official training and curriculum material for the national apprenticeship scheme—effectively shaping the blueprint for project controls education across the country.

Now, Emily Cooke is focused on lifting the next generation of engineering talent. Having already personally mentored and brought three professionals through the project controls apprenticeship scheme within her own business, she has announced plans to build a dedicated Project Controls Training Academy in the North East. The academy will aim to directly address the critical skills deficit currently facing the UK’s defence and green energy supply chains.

“Our growth over the past three years proves that North East enterprise can lead the way in vital national infrastructure,” says Emily Cooke, Managing Director of The EPC Group Ltd. “To scale a business to this level in nuclear defence and renewables while managing the realities of being a single parent has been incredibly challenging, but it proves what is possible. My journey started as the UK’s first project controls apprentice, and writing that curriculum showed me how vital structured training is. With our new academy, we aren’t just scaling a business—we are actively investing in the workforce of tomorrow to bridge the engineering skills gap right here in the Tees Valley.”

As The EPC Group Ltd prepares for its next phase of commercial expansion, the planned training academy will position Stockton-on-Tees as a central hub for project governance, risk management, and project controls excellence.

Key Facts

• Founded and led by Emily Cooke
• Grew into a multi-million-pound business within three years
• Doubled profits year-on-year
• Operates across nuclear defence and renewable energy sectors
• Emily Cooke was the UK’s first Project Controls Apprentice
• Plans for a dedicated North East Project Controls Training Academy