Will Hall secures an Electrical Engineering apprenticeship at RACE
Will joined UKAEA in September 2021 as an Electrical Engineering Apprentice. After his A-Levels, he decided he wanted to get out into the working world whilst still learning skills and gaining a qualification. In his short time with us, Will has already worked on some fantastic projects!
Key achievements
Will’s biggest achievement so far is securing his apprenticeship with UKAEA. Will’s next goal will be to deliver his first full work package, from concept to the design stage.
Will is currently working on a system to completely overhaul and refine how we use the work hall in RACE, our robotics research centre.
“When this project is finished mid-2022, we’ll be able to build cells to house our robots much more efficiently. I’m excited to see how our work will improve the existing systems in RACE, especially as this is a long-term project so the impact will be felt ten years from now.”
Role
Electrical Engineering Apprentice
Department
RACE
Joined UKAEA
September 2021
Qualifications
A-Levels in Maths, Physics, Biology and Further Maths
Will’s career so far
Choosing the apprenticeship pathway
After his A-Levels, Will decided he wanted to do an apprenticeship rather than pursuing university study.
“Before I came to UKAEA I was still completing my A-levels, deliberating between whether I wanted to go to university or go off the beaten path and look at getting an apprenticeship.” He knew that he wanted to leave the classroom and experience a real working environment, using the skills he had already acquired during his A-Levels.
The application process
He started to look for apprenticeships on LinkedIn and the GOV.UK website before applying to the UKAEA apprenticeship scheme.
“My search for an apprenticeship lasted several months and I made numerous different applications but at the end of it all I was given an offer from UKAEA. I was very excited as during the application I had learnt all about the different amazing projects and opportunities available on site.”
Choosing UKAEA
Whilst applying to multiple organisations, Will couldn’t help but get excited about the prospect of working for the UK’s leading fusion energy developer.
“The unique opportunities were a big draw factor to UKAEA; having both the leading fusion research programme and a leading robotics lab on the same site was so enticing, not to mention the countless other interesting projects happening there!”
First day at UKAEA
He is certain he made the right decision as he really enjoys his job and feels a valued member of the team.
“I am certain UKAEA is one of the best organisations to secure an apprenticeship within the whole of the UK, since the opportunities are just so unique.”
I’ve learnt a lot and it’s been a real confidence boost. Seeing how far I’ve come feels good, but seeing how far is still to go is great and is a real motivator for me.
Will Hall
Electrical Engineering Apprentice
Career development and support
Software induction
From the very beginning of his time at UKAEA, Will took part in training on the job. His first training programme included learning about the software he’d need throughout his work.
Will has been investigating the range of other opportunities available to him at UKAEA and says that he’s looking forward to learning more and more.
Work placements
UKAEA offers placements around sites which will allow Will to develop new skill sets and knowledge by working in different departments. He is soon hoping to complete a placement with the power engineers so he can learn more about working with electricity.
If you want to hear more about our company culture, read about our values.
Before Faiz was a graduate, he took part in a student placement with us at UKAEA in the very department that he works in now. After graduating he chose to return to our team, already safe in the knowledge that UKAEA was where he wanted to be.
