Matthew Irving first tasted life as a Sellafield engineer during work experience in year 10.
Now, just two years on, the teenager has completed his first project solving a real-life engineering challenge.
At 17, Matthew is too young to set foot on the Sellafield site.
But thanks to the Sellafield Engineering Centre of Excellence at Cleator Moor, that hasn’t stopped him contributing to the mission.
Matthew, a student at the Energy Coast University Technical College at Lillyhall, near Workington, has been part of a team investigating how to create additional space in one of Sellafield’s waste management plants.
Matthew said: “I enjoyed my work experience at the centre in year 10. I worked on projects such as building an electric bike, which I enjoyed testing out on the street.
“When it came to applying for another work experience placement, I had no doubt I wanted to go back.”
But the centre went one better and offered him a place on a real-life engineering project, known as a sprint.
A sprint team brings together people from different professional backgrounds to work on an engineering challenge. They have six weeks to immerse themselves in a project and come up with a solution.
Matthew added: “My sprint was concerning the capacity of the bulk storage tank in the Site Ion Exchange Plant, known as SIXEP.
“Because of a build-up of a particular product, there’s a risk the tanks might become full before an alternative facility is available. That could cause an issue for the whole site.
“I worked in a team of Sellafield employees for six weeks. It’s given me a real insight into site issues and how they can be addressed.
“It’s helped improve my communication skills and my confidence. It’s clarified for me that I want to apply for an engineering degree apprenticeship as my next step.”
Craig Branney, Sellafield Ltd’s head of off-site developments, said: “Matthew has played a key role in helping to address a critical issue on the Sellafield site.
“The solutions the team came up with were very well received by the plant and hopefully they’ll now be taken forward.
“Matthew is really what the Engineering Centre of Excellence is all about. Previously, he wouldn’t have been able to get involved because he couldn’t get onto site.
“Having the centre at Cleator Moor means we can bring the work into the community and use all the talent available to us.
“Matthew also helped present the team’s solutions to an audience of about 50 people, including the eventual customers, which would intimidating to someone of any age.
“To be able to do that so confidently at just 17 is incredible. He’s done a fantastic job and I can’t wait to see what he goes on to achieve in his career.”
