Engineering & Maintenance Graduate (Reliability Engineering) Review
at Sellafield Ltd
Graduate Scheme
Chemical Engineering, Engineering
Sellafield
Review Submitted: May 2026
Overall Rating
4.9 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
5/5
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Overview of the Role
4.8/5
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Experience & Company Culture
5/5
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Recommendations & Advice
Overview of the Role
Overall, how would you describe your experience at Sellafield Ltd?
Amazing, I can honestly say that I love my job and I enjoy living in Cumbria, which for my first job out of university is a blessing in itself, especially compared to a lot of my friends in different industries that have had to settle for jobs to pay the bills. Before starting, I would say that I didn't have anything that sparked my passion for engineering and definitely preferred city life but here, the large graduate community makes it so easy to settle and form new friendships + the work is meaningful and gives a real purpose behind the job, igniting that enjoyment for engineering.
What are the main responsibilities of the role and which elements of the role do you enjoy the most?
Reliability engineering - this entails taking care of an asset over it's lifetime (not just present-day issues that may arise, but also the future condition and eventual decommissioning), ensuing its longevity and safe operation.
I particularly enjoyed the hands on experience of this role. I never did a placement year at university and the most active experience I had was in labs however, here I have the ability to go onto plant and view/ have a practical approach to my work.
I particularly enjoyed the hands on experience of this role. I never did a placement year at university and the most active experience I had was in labs however, here I have the ability to go onto plant and view/ have a practical approach to my work.
To what extent does your role give you the opportunity to contribute meaningfully and feel valued by your team?
5/5
My role has direct involvement with the objectives of Sellafield, whether that may be decommissioning or ensuring the smooth operation of the active facilities on site. I am able to witness first-hand the change happening around me as a result of the work I have contributed, which really gives a sense of satisfaction/ accomplishment.
How does your compensation package - including perks & benefits - fairly remunerate you for the work you do?
5/5
The salary is highly competitive compared to other graduate schemes and given the low cost of living in West Cumbria, this only becomes more attractive. Additionally, the annual leave allowance is generous (30 days + bank holidays, etc) and there are a number of other perks offered by Sellafield, such as healthcare support.
How well do you feel the role is preparing you for your future career?
5/5
During the graduate scheme, you have the ability to grow your confidence and skills within a reliability engineering role at your own pace, whilst being mentored by a large supporting network that spans outside of just your day-to-day team. The scheme also allows for a lot of flexibility for CPD opportunities that you wouldn't otherwise find time for during a regular engineering role. In addition, the scheme is made up of four 6-month secondments in different areas of the business, including one in design engineering. I feel that all of this combined, has perfectly set me up for a future career that I look forward to.
How would you rate the extent to which you were developing new or existing skills through formal training and your day-to-day role?
5/5
The different secondments allow for a variety of skills to be acquired and requires you to become familiar with lots of different parts of the business. This can admittedly be tricky at first, but the skill of adapting to new circumstances is definitely quick to pick up helps progress your development. Furthermore, the extent of additional training that can be done seems to be limitless and is always encouraged for your CPD. For example, I attended a practical training course that taught me how to conduct work in gloveboxes - something I would never have to do personally during my role, however it gave me an insight into the challenges that operators face daily. These experiences combine to mould me into a more well-rounded engineer that I can take forward into my future career.
Experience & Company Culture
How is the support you receive?
5/5
Before I joined the company, I was paired with a graduate who is already on the scheme. They formed the first part of my developmental network and provided an informal point of contact regarding joining the business, moving, etc and stayed with me for the duration of the graduate scheme. On top of this, I was also given a mentor who helps with my professional chartership development who alongside my senior coordinator, ensures I am being given the correct work to progress me towards becoming a chartered engineer. These are just a few examples of the people here to support me along the graduate journey, and there is always someone available to me if and when I require support.
How is your work-life balance?
5/5
Coming from university where my work life balance blended together (staying up until 4am finishing online lecture notes), it was a great coming to work at Sellafield where your work finishes at the end of your working day. That's it, no cross-over. You have your start and finish times and outside of that, you don't have to worry about your work responsibilities.
What is the organisational culture, values and general atmosphere like?
5/5
The company actively pushes for inclusivity and will try to go out of it's way to make you feel welcome and secure. Regarding hybrid working arrangements, it generally falls down to the discretion of Line Managers and the particular area of site your role falls under. Some engineers have a dedicated 1/2 work from home days in their arrangements, others will work from home whenever circumstances call for it and some will ask for you to be in office/ on site every day. As a general rule of thumb, a discussion with your Line Manager will come to the appropriate working arrangements for yourself.
How would you rate Sellafield Ltd initiatives when it comes to equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility?
4/5
Generally speaking, Sellafield tries to push for equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility however, as a result to the predominately white population of West Cumbria (amongst other factors like trying to get more women in STEM, etc), it can be hard to see how far this is reflecting onto the workforce. That being said, there is a much better quality of diversity seen in the early careers professionals and new entrants into the company, such as graduates and so over time this should have a knock-on effect to the wider work force.
How would you rate Sellafield Ltd CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiatives?
5/5
All graduates are required to do at least 10hrs of volunteering a year, with engineering pushed to do activities that directly relate to STEM. For myself, I participated in a work experience week during my 1st year on the scheme which tutored a group of college students about the different disciplines of engineering out there. This was particularly rewarding to have an impact on those individuals regarding their decision on what they wanted to pursue as a future career, possibly in engineering (if I sold it well enough).
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Sellafield Ltd to a friend?
Yes
Why?
I would and have recommended Sellafield to my friends for a combination of all the reasons previously mentioned in before questions. The job is very rewarding, both pay, perks and the work itself has genuine meaning and purpose. Outside of work, the friends I have made on the graduate scheme made settling into Cumbria so easy and it's brilliant to take advantage of The Lakes being on your doorstep during the warmer months. I can truthfully say that I am proud to work at Sellafield and the career they've given me.
How well did the role match your expectations based on the recruitment process?
5/5
Pretty well! From memory I think the job description of the Engineering & Maintenance graduate scheme was a little vague but it's been a while and it's hard to remember for certain, however, I knew I wanted to be on site and have a hands-on approach with the work I did and that's what I have gotten.
When considering the recruitment & onboarding process, have you any specific tips or advice you would give to others applying to Sellafield Ltd?
Be truthful in your answers, if you don't know the answer to questions, just admit that and have a discussion around the topic. That's much better than trying to make something up on the spot, because both you and the interviewer will know you're talking rubbish.
Other than that, show some genuine enthusiasm about working in the nuclear industry. Sellafield has a lot of history from the Windscale Fire, to the worlds first commercial power generating nuclear reactor over at Calder - there's plenty to research and it wouldn't hurt to have a brief look at some of this beforehand.
Other than that, show some genuine enthusiasm about working in the nuclear industry. Sellafield has a lot of history from the Windscale Fire, to the worlds first commercial power generating nuclear reactor over at Calder - there's plenty to research and it wouldn't hurt to have a brief look at some of this beforehand.
