Graduating apprentices reflect on five years of growth
Three UKAEA degree apprentices share how technical challenges, hands-on experience and personal growth prepared them for careers in engineering and fusion.
Three degree apprentices have completed their apprenticeship programmes at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), working within RACE, UKAEA’s centre for Remote Applications in Challenging Environments. Their graduation marks the end of five years of learning, development and practical experience across a range of engineering disciplines.
The apprentices shared their experiences at the RACE Apprentice Celebration Event. They reflected on the projects they contributed to, the skills they developed and the opportunities they encountered throughout their apprenticeships.
The programme combines university study with practical work experience. It gives apprentices the opportunity to develop technical and professional skills through placements in different teams before moving into a final specialist role.
The graduating apprentices were:
- Trudi Cooke (Electrical – Embedded Electronic Systems Design and Development Engineering Level 6 Apprenticeship)
- Will Hall (Electrical – Embedded Electronic Systems Design and Development Engineering Level 6 Apprenticeship)
- Charlotte Wilkes (Mechanical – Product Design and Development Engineering Level 6 Apprenticeship)
A common theme across their experiences was the value of working with different teams and disciplines throughout the organisation.
Reflecting on her apprenticeship, Trudi highlighted the importance of building connections and seeking out opportunities.
My big takeaway was to network and meet as many people as possible. That’s how I found a lot of my placements and that’s how I’ve learned a lot.
Trudi Cooke
During their apprenticeship, Trudi worked on a wide variety of projects. These ranged from workshop builds and engineering schematics to software development, coding, simulations and data analysis.
Will Hall spoke about one of the most challenging projects he undertook during his apprenticeship. For his dissertation, he worked on a project within the Magnetic Fusion Research Programme, a collaborative research experiment involving colleagues from across UKAEA. The project involved investigating how electronic components perform over time when exposed to radiation in a hot-cell environment.
It was the most difficult thing I’ve done on the programme. But it was very rewarding.
Will Hall
Will said the project demonstrated the importance of collaboration across different disciplines. He highlighted the opportunities apprentices have to contribute to complex technical challenges.
Charlotte Wilkes reflected on how her apprenticeship helped her develop both professionally and personally. Having joined UKAEA with no previous experience in robotics, she learned to operate MASCOT during an early placement. She then moved through project management, systems engineering and design roles.
One of her career highlights was working on the European Spallation Source (ESS) project, which she joined in her second year before returning in her final year to support project coordination.
Charlotte also highlighted the opportunities available beyond day-to-day project work, including outreach activities. One of her proudest achievements was speaking in Parliament about the importance of apprenticeships.
I was working with similar faces but seeing how the project had progressed, but so had I as a person. It was a really nice full-circle moment.
Charlotte Wilkes
The apprentices agreed that the combination of technical work, varied placements and opportunities to work alongside experts from different disciplines had helped them build confidence, broaden their skills and gain valuable experience.
Their experiences demonstrate how apprenticeships can provide a route into engineering careers while allowing participants to apply university learning to real-world projects from the start of their careers.
As the fusion sector continues to grow, apprenticeship programmes play an important role in developing the next generation of engineers, scientists and technical specialists who will help deliver future fusion energy technologies.
Interested in starting your own career in fusion and engineering? Find out more about apprenticeships, graduate opportunities and careers at UKAEA on our careers website.