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I decided to join the nuclear industry after graduating from university as I am passionate about making a difference and I am very conscious of the need for a sustainable energy mix, particularly considering the current climate emergency. I strongly believe that nuclear power will be needed to power tomorrow, along with a number of other sources, and that the skills and experiences gained through working in this sector will be of great benefit for many years to come.
I am now in my second year of the Sellafield Graduate Scheme and have already had the opportunity to get involved with a number of exciting projects and additional roles. In my first placement, I worked with a small team within Data and Asset Management to improve the data handling tools used by reliability engineers to assess the condition of assets. The work completed in this project had a tangible benefit for data users, as understanding the current condition of assets and equipment and subsequently being able to predict its future condition is important, especially in ageing nuclear facilities.
My second placement saw me work in SIXEP, the Sellafield Ion Exchange Effluent Plant for five months. This placement allowed me to experience daily plant life and conduct a number of structured plant walkdowns and asset condition assessments. I also led an investigation into passing valves which involved liaising with operators, senior engineers, maintenance and craft teams and a number of other developing engineers. By working on plant, I was able to experience the difficulties of ageing facilities and the importance of performing regular walkdowns, linking into the work I completed in my first placement.
After my placement at SIXEP, I took part in a three-week engineering skills course, followed by a six-week sprint project. The engineering skills course was very enjoyable and a lot of fun, as we were introduced to a variety of practical skills, including electrical fault finding, welding and constructing hydraulic circuits to solve problems. During the sprint project, I worked in a small team of graduates to devise methods of performing visual inspection and maintenance of fire dampers using creative thinking processes before trialling some methods. The project was intense, largely due to the limited timeframe and scope of the project, but it was very rewarding and has allowed me to develop both technical and behavioural skills.
Outside of my work on placements, I have had the opportunity to gain experience by taking on additional roles within Sellafield and beyond; notably being part of the Nuclear Power Committee as a young member, actively working in the Support Office for the Nuclear Engineering Directors’ Forum and being Secretary for a Management Safety Committee at Sellafield. These roles have allowed me to expand my professional network and understand some of the challenges facing the nuclear industry more widely on a strategic level.
Moving forward, I am now in my third placement at Sellafield, working in the Manufactured Products Organisation which aims to put frameworks in place to ensure a repeated supply of bespoke products that will allow facilities to run their operations in the future. Throughout the remainder of my time on the Graduate Scheme, I hope to continue to expand my technical knowledge. I also hope to gain an understanding of project and programme management, particularly commercial processes and frameworks. I would also like to continue supporting the nuclear industry, and see it moving into a new phase of its development.