Hundreds of people potentially looking for a career within engineering and maintenance at Sellafield attended the department’s first careers day.
On Saturday, the Engineering Centre of Excellence in Cleator Moor hosted the event which was full to capacity, showcasing what a career in engineering and maintenance can look like.
There were 55 members of staff were on hand to explain their roles within the Sellafield Ltd business and offer advice on the routes available into their careers.
Emma Hetherington, engineering and maintenance head of profession at Sellafield Ltd, said: “We were overwhelmed with the interest in our first careers fair. The event sold out really quickly. It’s great to see such an appetite to work for Sellafield Ltd and we will look to host more of these going forward, including other ways of introducing people to the Centre of Excellence.
“Our offsite facility is the perfect location to showcase the business as a whole without the constraints of the Sellafield site. The centre is such an important part of our business and it’s the perfect venue to host a careers day.
“We have been able to display the wide range of careers on offer: from craft, to engineering, to professional support. There are activities and demonstrations too so people can try their hand at some of the different skills and disciplines we have.
“It’s brilliant to see the local community coming to Cleator Moor and seeing first-hand what we do and get a feel for what Sellafield is.
“There were people of all ages and that’s just brilliant. We can support the next generation who might be looking at apprenticeships, degree apprenticeships, graduate roles but also those who may be in a different position and fancy a change.”
Lyla Chandler, a 16-year-old A-level student at Energy Coast UTC, said: “I wanted more insights into what Sellafield does and can offer to help me decide which apprenticeship to apply for. I know that I’d like to aim for a degree apprenticeship, and I’ve done work experience at the Centre of Excellence and with Arup. There are so many fields in engineering that I find events like this and work experience really useful in helping me differentiate between the different disciplines.”
Craig Branney, head of off-site developments at Sellafield Ltd, said: “The engineering profession is vast and innovative, and here at the Centre of Excellence, we are always looking at different ways to use the facility as, just like the buildings on site, it is Sellafield.
“More than 300 people came through the door and 55 staff. A big shout out to the staff who came in on a weekend to promote the place where they work. They gave up their time to showcase the benefits of a career in the nuclear industry, and show more goes on here than just engineering.”
Harry Capstick, 15, of Bootle, said: “I know that when I leave school I want to have a job that is really hands on. I don’t want to sit behind a desk for hours every day. I did work experience at the Centre of Excellence, and they were brilliant, they showed me the different jobs that you can do at Sellafield.”
