Describe a typical day as a Nuclear Graduate:
Looking back, it feels like every day was a new challenge whether that was in a new secondment role with a new team, a training course or the next Footprints zone with the rest of the cohort. If I wasn’t in the office doing my day job, I was somewhere else in the country at a conference or doing STEM activities.
How has the training provided by Nuclear Graduates helped with your professional development?
Everything I was exposed to while on the scheme is now helping me in my permanent role – as a plant engineer on a new build facility I have direct experience of a project and commissioning environment as well as a network on Sellafield site and beyond. Through the scheme, I’ve grown in confidence as I’ve been able to demonstrate autonomy and take accountability for my own work which is definitely helping me in my professional development. I continue to progress towards chartership with the IMechE.
What is your magic moment in your time on the Nuclear Graduates programme?
There are a lot of great memories from the scheme but I’ll never forget my time in Japan, working alongside the UK and Japanese nuclear industries. It was a fantastic perspective of nuclear that I wouldn’t normally get to see from my day job. I was able to present to industry professionals and government officials at the Embassy on the introduction of the Nuclear Sector Deal and the skills development outlined within the Deal, touching on the role that scheme such as Nuclear Graduates and other schemes play in developing the future talent pipeline.
