At this time of the year, the recruitment team are looking for the freshest batch of graduates from university to join us here at Culham. This isn’t a simple task though, and so to help, the graduates donned their UKAEA polo shirts and hit the careers fairs.
This year we visited universities in Cardiff, Birmingham, Bath, Southampton, Bristol, Cambridge and Oxford in order to advertise the opportunities available at UKAEA and highlight the amazing development scheme which we are a part of.
The Graduate Scheme is based around an 80:20 split between Job Role and Graduate Development. The 80% Job Role allows new starters to settle into a role, gain confidence in their field and get involved in a variety of related projects, before taking on more responsibility within their teams and department. The 20% Graduate development focusses on a variety of training courses, both general and specific, soft skills and technical and, more importantly, tailored to the graduate. Graduates will also complete a team project which is typically outside their day to day job, allowing development in other areas.
This fully all-round development scheme is supported by a Graduate Panel, individual mentors and line managers and a forum or current graduates and ex-graduates.
If you are interested in joining the graduate scheme, you can apply now at www.ccfe.ac.uk/jobs by looking for ‘UKAEA Graduate Scheme’. The deadline for applications is 21st November 2018. Assessment Centres comprising of technical interviews and team challenges will be held in early December.
The profiles below highlight the graduates and the scheme they have taken part in:
· Name – Helena Livesey
· Department and Project – RACE Mechanical Engineering working on ITER Robotic Test Facility – Small Bore Welding and Cutting
· Favourite part of the graduate scheme – Self-motivated learning - I've used it to go to Sweden for stratospheric balloon launch, learn how to use an arduino and how to design sustainably.
· Any advice to potential applicants – Be enthusiastic about coming to UKAEA, there's lots of big science going on here so there's bound to be something you can show a genuine interest in.
· Name - Chris Stuart, 2nd year graduate
· Department and Project – Plasma Operations Group, Tokamak Science Department. JET Plasma Operations – developing real time data systems for plasma monitoring and control. As a Plasma Duty Officer I also get assigned to any JET experiment that needs real time control support.
· Favourite part of the graduate scheme – Self-motivated learning – I’ve been able to study a few topics (deep learning, software testing frameworks, responsive HTML front-end design and others), in any down time from the day job that have varying strengths of connection to the work that I’m doing right now, but might open up some doors and opportunities in the future.
· Any advice to potential applicants – Show that you’re enthusiastic about the overall mission of UKAEA. We want to bring a safe, abundant, renewable and carbon-neutral power source into commercial reality, and we’re doing some fascinating science and engineering to get us there. You don’t need to know the specifics to any of the various fields within fusion power, as long as you’re technically minded and can show you’re keen!
· Name - Hannah Todd, 1st year graduate
· Department and Project – H3AT (Hydrogen 3 advanced technology) – Commissioning the water detritiation system in readiness for the next deuterium tritium campaign.
· Favourite part of the graduate scheme – Doing practical work in the active gas handling system
· Any advice to potential applicants – Don’t let lack of experience hold you back. An interest in the work that UKAEA does and the potential for you to learn on the job are far more important qualities. I never thought I would get the job when I applied last year but thought there was no harm in trying. Now look where I am a year later!