I work as a Control and Instrumentation Engineer at ETC’s Capenhurst site in the UK. I mostly work on the control side of things, with some electrical aspects as well. In normal times, I’m able to do quite a bit of travelling to visit the projects I work on, as part of my job. I really enjoy this side to the role.
I started at ETC in October 2017, shortly after I completed my Master of Engineering at the University of Sheffield. I joined through ETC’s Graduate recruitment scheme, which I would really recommend! It certainly exceeded my expectations. In the first year, I was given the chance to work in so many different areas of the business, and in year 2 you get to travel to and work at ETC’s other sites. My university work was all inter-disciplinary, so I was prepared for the variety of tasks I was given, and in fact I really enjoyed it.
Part of the attraction of working at ETC, for me, is the chance to live in my hometown of Liverpool. I love the city! There is a special buzz, and so many great restaurants and things to do. I like to support small, local independent businesses like shops and restaurants. The community I live in now is lovely. It’s a place you just gravitate towards.
I had never heard of ETC when I found the Graduate scheme and I was interested immediately. It ticked all my boxes, with the opportunity to come home and be able to travel. I’m very interested in things that are new. There is such an amazing opportunity here at ETC to work on new things. Sure, the core technology is established and works brilliantly well. But everyone here is constantly involved in improving things, taking a new look at old solutions, and developing ideas to take things on. People are curious, so even though it’s an established technology, there’s a new aspect to almost everything we work on.
It’s important work too. I believe that nuclear power will be a key factor in how we’re going to generate carbon neutral energy going forward, so it’s rewarding to work on making this technology better.
I’m looking forward to building up my experience and understanding of the different roles here at ETC. There is a strong culture of mentorship and collaboration. I am in a small team and my colleagues have huge experience that they willingly share. So it’s easy to learn fast because they know what they’re doing. I have a dedicated mentor who helps to discuss my experiences and what could be improved. All my colleagues are helpful, so it makes for a great working environment where I can learn quickly and be supported.
Something else I love about my job is the chance to collaborate with colleagues in other countries. Both in other ETC sites, and our customers too. Some of my colleagues have a huge breadth and depth of experience and know exactly who I should talk to, and how to go about getting the right information. This has helped to build stronger customer relationships as well as improve my knowledge about everything that ETC does.
