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Sellafield opens its doors to budding engineers

Sellafield Ltd has hosted its first Engineering Open House Day to show young people the range of careers available in engineering.

Around 60 children attended the event to learn about the creative, challenging and rewarding careers in engineering by hosting its first Engineering Open House Day in Risley, Warrington.

Around 60 children attended the event to learn about creative, challenging and rewarding careers in engineering

Sellafield Ltd has opened its doors to show young people the exciting range of careers available for those who study science and technology, by hosting its first Engineering Open House Day in Risley, Warrington.

Around 60 young people, ranging from 5 to 18 years old, went behind the scenes to see what it’s like to be an engineer and learn about the jobs they do in the nuclear industry. They also got involved in a variety of ‘hands-on’ activities and listened to some inspirational engineers.

The Sellafield nuclear site sits on the west coast of Cumbria but much of the design engineering work to support the complex clean-up mission is done from Hinton House in Risley, home to more than 1,500 Sellafield Ltd employees.

The event was hosted by the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), with representatives from Warrington University Technical College (UTC) also on hand to talk about training opportunities in the area.

It was opened by Steve Livingstone, Projects Director at Sellafield Ltd who has experience in leading engineers through complex projects, having headed up the £2.5 billion new Terminal 2: The Queen’s Terminal at Heathrow airport.

He said:

We were really excited to host an event for the IET’s Engineering Open House Day. It’s really great that our ambassadors are able to take time from their jobs at Sellafield Ltd and give their own time to spread the knowledge that they have gained throughout their careers, to the next generation of engineers.

Engineering careers are creative, challenging and rewarding and, as an industry, we must do all we can to help both parents and children realise the fantastic breadth of engineering careers on offer.

Events like this are just one of the ways Sellafield Ltd supports science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education of young people in schools and colleges in the Warrington and Cumbria areas. The company has over 300 STEM ambassadors, with 159 based at Hinton House, inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Published 29 July 2016