Graeme

Name

Graeme

Job Title

Project Engineer

Company

Magnox North

Typical day

Although a cliché, there is no typical day as such. My work is divided between three activities:

• Helping deliver the generic research and development portfolio supporting decommissioning activities on sites;
• Co-ordinating the meetings to report this work to our customer (the NDA), the regulators and other nuclear site licence companies, and proposing future work through input from our sites; and
• Producing technical reports on chemical issues to support the sites in their decommissioning work.

Carrying out these roles often requires juggling lots of work and it’s great that I have the freedom to organise my working day as best fits the tasks at hand. So one morning I may be on site getting data for a report from the engineers on the job; whilst the next I may be organising a workshop for 30 people with good facilities, ample parking and gluten-free menu options; and on the third I may have a slightly more relaxing day reviewing a report from one of the Research & Development projects over a cup of coffee.

Advice for new graduates

The best piece of advice I could give a new graduate is to look for a future employer that cares about the personal development of its staff. Magnox Electric have been very supportive in me getting full membership of my professional institute (the Royal Society of Chemistry) and working towards chartership. Even if graduates decide against applying to Magnox I’d recommend that they look for an employer with a similar enthusiasm for staff development.

Highlights of the job so far

The highlight of the last year as a Magnox graduate was the issue of my first report. I’ve previously written a number of technical reports, journal papers and even a 277 page thesis, but there was still something satisfying about producing my first report at Magnox and knowing that it would be used to help the work of decommissioning a part of the Magnox fleet. The annual performance bonus was also quite nice.

Comments about the graduate scheme

My first impression of the scheme was how quick my application was processed – from application to passing the assessment centre took less than 5 weeks! Since then the scheme has supported my development with the two year programme containing a number of courses aimed at providing a training package to satisfy the generic needs of a graduate new to the industry as well as those identified by my line manager as being particularly useful to my role.

Another plus point has been the appointment of a mentor with a similar background to help me through the chartership process and progression as a chemist within the nuclear industry.

Hopes for the future

In the immediate future I’m looking at securing a secondment with EDF – based near Lyon, France – on a collaboration looking at common issues of waste package design.  I’m also looking to further my understanding of the needs of the reactor sites by spending more time on site, possibly embedded in the site chemist’s section carrying out the analyses necessary to maintain the fleet and continue generation.