Engineering Design Degree Apprenticeships 2021 Featured

Company Information

Sellafield Ltd is responsible for safely delivering Decommissioning, Reprocessing and Nuclear Waste Management activities on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

As a Sellafield Ltd Design Apprentice, you will be part of an exciting programme to train and develop our design technicians and engineers. You will be part of our vision to be a world leader in solving complex nuclear challenges and help deliver our nationally important mission to remediate the Sellafield site.

Through this Degree Apprenticeship you will gain excellent engineering qualifications and a broad base of practical nuclear design experience. Many of our engineers, managers and leaders started their career as an apprentice and continue to benefit from the first-class foundation it gave them. Apprenticeships are the gold standard for work-based learning and we believe the Sellafield Ltd Design Apprenticeship is one of the best available.

Apprenticeship Description

Over five years we will provide you with a structured training scheme giving you the opportunity to develop your skills and experience in Nuclear Engineering Design at Sellafield Ltd and our supply chain partners. You will receive foundation training in all aspects of workshop-based engineering. The majority of your apprenticeship will be based in our offices and production facilities, training alongside and learning from professional engineers.

The Sellafield Ltd Engineering Design Apprenticeship is split into three disciplines: mechanical design; control, electrical and instrumentation design; and civil and structural design.

You will learn common elements of engineering such as the application of maths and science to engineering, fundamentals of engineering drawing and design, Computer Aided Design (CAD) software and its appropriate application including 2D and 3D modelling. You will understand how to work safely at all times, complying with national and industry health and safety requirements, and work in accordance with company management systems, policies and procedures. You will learn how to assess the factors that are important to functional design e.g. the context in which you are working, the materials, components, assemblies, cost, quality, safety, security, risk, environmental impact, ergonomics, aesthetics, the end use and reliability.

In each of the three disciplines you will learn specialist technical knowledge.

For mechanical this includes: mechanical principles, material selection and application; mechanical annotation including geometrical tolerances, limits and fits, surface finishes; mechanical handling; welding, fasteners and fabrications.

For control, electrical and instrumentation this includes: electrical power generation & distribution; lighting & small power systems; principles of earthing & lightning protection; cable types, specification, and installation requirements; combinational and sequential logic and control systems; instrumentation principles and application.

For civil and structural this includes: structural principles and application; construction drawings of building structures and infrastructure, utilising multiple materials including: steel, concrete, masonry; construction processes, methods and details.

For these apprenticeships, in years 1 to 3, you will complete a level 5 HNC/HND in your chosen discipline at Wigan & Leigh College.  After successfully completing our Level 5 programme, you will have the opportunity to complete an Engineering Degree (BEng) in year 4 and 5.

Essential Skills

Civil Structural, Mechanical, Control, Electrical & Instrumentation Engineering Design:

• Minimum of 5 GCSEs at Grades 9 to 4 (Grades A* to C) including Mathematics, English and an Engineering or Science or Engineering subject.
• Minimum of 96 UCAS points at A-Level, STEM subjects preferred (e.g. Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, Physics or Science) but not mandatory.
• Other Level 3 STEM qualifications or higher may be considered.
• Vocational equivalents at level 3 or higher will also be considered as equivalent to UCAS points.
• If you do not have Mathematics at A Level then you must achieve a minimum of Grade 6 (Grade B) at GCSE.

For more information on Engineering Design click here.

Desirable Skills

We are looking for bright, articulate, enthusiastic and punctual people, with a good attitude, a willingness to learn and with a real interest in engineering. Demonstrable interest in a career in engineering through appropriate subject choices at GCSE and/or A Level, i.e. science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects. Evidence of elements such as Leadership, Teamwork and Community work (prefect at school, Duke of Edinburgh, mentoring younger students or sports captain, etc.) are desirable alongside a passion for engineering demonstrated not only in your academics but also in your hobbies and interests.

Additional Information

Closing Date: February 15th 2021

To apply for the CUMBRIA based Design Apprenticeship Scheme please visit GEN 2

Please note, our interviews will be conducted over the 13th, 14th and 15th April 2021.

For further information on other Sellafield Ltd Apprenticeship programme rewards, please refer to the ‘your reward’ page within the Apprenticeship section of our careers website.

You are advised to regularly check your emails (including any junk mail/spam folders) for correspondence related to this post, including assessment or interview invitations and any other type of correspondence relating to your application. 

In the event of a high number of responses to any advert, Sellafield Ltd reserves the right to close the vacancy early.

In promoting equal opportunities, Sellafield Ltd welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We select people according to their abilities and our needs. As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.