Sellafield graduates and apprentices win prestigious awards
Source: gov.uk (2025-01-15)

Three Warrington-based Sellafield Ltd graduates and apprentices have won prestigious awards due to their hard work and dedication to their roles.

Nathan Willis has won the highly prestigious Whitworth Scholarship Award from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Whitworth Society.

Nathan recently completed the engineering design degree apprenticeship achieving a first class Bachelor’s degree and is currently working as part of the Product and Residue Store Retreatment Plant team as a mechanical design engineer.

The award was achieved thanks to Nathan’s display of academic excellence, practical ability and his drive to achieve success in the industry.

The scholarship will offer support and additional opportunities as Nathan pursues a part-time Master’s Degree in Advanced Mechanical Engineering at Lancaster University.

Nathan said:

I was thrilled to win the award and attend the ceremony in London. The Whitworth scholarship offers incredible opportunities to connect with industry experts and mentors, supporting my goal towards becoming a chartered engineer.

My time on the Sellafield apprenticeship scheme was invaluable in nurturing my engineering skills, thanks to the exceptional support, mentorship and experience gained from a variety of placements across the organisation, both in the design office and on site.

Two of our other young colleagues have also recently received recognition.

Last month, Eleanor Hodgson received the Training and Development Award at the Institution of Chemical Engineers 2024 Global Awards for her submission ‘Influencing the Next Generation – An Exemplar’.

This submission, developed by a group of process design graduates, focused on updating and improving the work experience programme.

Eleanor started at Sellafield Ltd as an industrial placement student and then returned as a graduate process design engineer. During her graduate scheme she took on the role as process design work experience lead.

Since completing the graduate scheme, Eleanor has been working as a process design engineer at the Site Management Project Office.

Eleanor said:

I had the chance to work with a great group of process design engineers on this project and I was so pleased to receive the award from the Institution of Chemical Engineers in recognition of the hard work that went into the programme.

Second year apprentice Elliot Andrews has been awarded The Programme and Project Partners Outstanding Contribution Award for his dedication to his professional development and work on the Lightly Shielded Store 1 (LSS1) .

Elliot was challenged with recording technical minutes for the highest risk and most complex system within LSS1 and has also been responsible for supervising a Mechanical Design Action Tracker covering multi-discipline technical queries.

Elliot received praise from his colleagues for his diligence, pro-active approach and for consistently going above and beyond expectations.

Head of education, training and development, Michelle Lambon-Wilks said:

It’s incredibly impressive to see our young colleagues achieving such remarkable success. Their hard work and dedication are truly commendable, and these awards are a testament to their determination and the quality of education and mentorship.

We are immensely proud of their accomplishments. We look forward to welcoming more people on to our early careers programmes and seeing their careers flourish.

Our careers programmes support both graduates and apprentices at the early stages of their careers. We provide quality training and mentoring to ensure they develop the vital skills needed for a thriving career in the nuclear industry.

Applications for our apprenticeship scheme are currently open, and more information can be accessed by [clicking here.] (https://careers.sellafieldsite.co.uk/graduates-placements/apprentices/)