UKAEA career development

At UKAEA, our focus is on shaping the future. This translates to the work we do, as well as career development opportunities to help shape the future of your career as you contribute to our mission.

Two UKAEA employees holding a meeting

We value our people and believe in nurturing talent by providing opportunities for our people to develop to their fullest potential.

We are committed to developing people by offering a wide range of programmes to support careers.  Our appraisal system gives people the opportunity to highlight learning and development needs with their managers throughout the year.

Take a look at our current vacancies and become a member of our team.

People holding a meeting at UKAEA’s RACE facility

How can UKAEA help me develop my career?

We have a wide variety of training and development opportunities available for our staff.

Who it’s for
This development programme can be used by any staff member who wants to further their career development in a structured and supported way, to become professionally accredited within their chosen career.

What it involves
Our professional development scheme aims to provide a flexible plan for the development of our employees and to help meet our organisational needs. 

What you’ll gain
You will become professionally accredited, as our scheme is currently accredited with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Institution of Engineering & Technology and Institute of Physics.

We believe in our employees and want to give them the opportunities to develop through their professional journey. We are committed to developing all of our members of staff and offer support to suit their individual career aspirations.

Five UKAEA apprentices meeting in a training room

Who it’s for
The purpose of our mentoring programme is to develop all our employees both personally and professionally while meeting the needs of our business.

What it involves
The mentoring programme is a formal process which is regularly reviewed and monitored. It involves a relationship between a mentor and a mentee where they encourage and help one another to discover more about themselves, their potential and capabilities. The scheme can help to assist people to seek support, guidance, help and feedback.

What you’ll gain
We recognise that individuals have different goals and aspirations, so we work to help you meet these personal goals as well as those of the business. We want our staff members to feel valued and motivated in both their personal and professional lives, and we strive to help them achieve this. 

We’ve received great feedback from our mentoring programme! Take a read of just some of the reviews from our staff members. 

“Strengthened my professional relationships”
“The scheme is successful and growing!”
“It’s rewarding helping others”
“Tailored to what the mentor/mentee requires”

Two staff holding a meeting at UKAEA

As an employee you are able to apply for funding to further enhance your qualifications through distance learning courses, such as degrees and apprenticeships.

Who it’s for
All employees at UKAEA are eligible to request funding as we are keen to provide opportunities for them to develop to their full potential. Each request would need to be reviewed and can be discussed with your line managers throughout the year. 

What it involves
To make sure people have access to the resources needed to support their development, UKAEA will reimburse the cost of one annual professional institute membership.  Time off for attendance at learning events and to study must be approved by your Line Manager. Where possible a mentor may be allocated to provide guidance and support.

What you’ll gain
You will gain a qualification to support your experience, which can be achieved through degrees or via a recognised apprenticeship scheme / training provider.

Two scientists looking at data on computer screens

The Learning and Development team provide opportunities for colleagues to develop skills, whilst promoting a safe and inclusive working environment. In addition to a core programme of learning, which is available to all colleagues throughout the year, we offer a range of face to face and online training options to upskill UKAEA’s existing and aspiring managers with the essential knowledge they need regarding our policies, processes, and general management responsibilities. Our internal practitioners often use Insights Discovery with managers and teams to promote self-awareness and group collaboration and we also run a management programme accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM).

In support of our Gender Pay Gap Action Plan in 2024, UKAEA offer group coaching for women and non-binary colleagues and a dedicated Springboard programme aimed at more junior colleagues looking to progress their career with us.  

Four UKAEA staff in a meeting room

Training courses

We have plenty of training courses available for our employees in a variety of different business areas. These course types include, but are not limited to:

  • Skills and knowledge
  • Safety related
  • People related
  • Behavioural competency
  • Technical masterclasses
  • IT and technology training
Graduate engineer using robotic manipulators

Early careers opportunities

If you are starting out in your career, we work with many universities and training providers around the UK and offer many opportunities to get you up and running, including:

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