National recognition for UK Atomic Energy Authority’s apprenticeship scheme with two awards

UKAEA is a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer and has won the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Advanced Apprenticeship Training Provider of the Year Award.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has underlined its status as one of the country’s best employers for apprenticeships with two national awards.

UKAEA, based at Culham Science Centre near Abingdon, has been named as a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer for 2020. The Top 100 showcases the very best of England’s large apprenticeship employers, with companies recognised for providing some of the most successful apprenticeship programmes over the previous 12 months. UKAEA is ranked alongside the British Army, BT and Lloyds Banking Group on the independently judged leaderboard.

UKAEA has also won Advanced Apprenticeship Training Provider of the Year Award 2020 from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, one of the UK’s top engineering professional bodies.

Apprentices at UKAEA get to work on one of the world’s most exciting engineering projects: the quest to turn fusion energy – the process that powers the stars – into a limitless energy source with minimal environmental impact. Trainees learn alongside experienced professionals, working on exciting and challenging projects in a supportive environment. The apprenticeship programme equips them with the skills and the qualifications they need to succeed in their career.

Apprenticeship training at UKAEA is boosted by its state-of-the-art Oxfordshire Advanced Skills apprentice centre, located at Culham. The centre opened in 2019 and equips engineering apprentices for 16 local employers, including UKAEA. It already has plans to expand to offer training for the robotics, power engineering, space and nuclear industries.

UKAEA’s People Development Manager Clare Davis said: “We were delighted with these awards – it’s exciting to see our Apprenticeship Scheme recognised at a national level.

“Currently there are more than 100 apprentices on our scheme, studying a wide range of subjects, from engineering, to project management and finance. We also have new degree level apprenticeships which complement the existing level 3-5 apprenticeships.

“Our apprentices work on exciting and challenging projects and are supported by the experienced professionals working alongside them.”