National recognition for Sellafield Ltd at the Project Management Awards

Today is a double celebration as we congratulate Charlotte Bethell and Erika Graham-Jones who have won Association of Project Management (APM) Apprentice and Graduate of the Year awards.

The awards were announced at the APM’s Festival of Education and Research – an educational conference and celebratory awards ceremony for the project community rewarding the best in project management education and research.

Charlotte works as project support on the Pile Fuel Cladding Silo after completing a Level 4 Trailblazer apprenticeship and a BSc in project management.

Charlotte said:

One of the highlights during my time on the scheme was being presented with the University of Cumbria’s Ede and Ravenscroft award, recognising me as one of the highest achieving students whilst studying for my foundation degree.

I’ve been able to act as an ambassador for Sellafield Ltd by attending events for the Nuclear Institute’s Young Generation Network.

One of the most rewarding parts of my apprenticeship was being able to mentor other apprentices and support them during COVID-19 – it was a challenging time for everyone, especially people who have just joined the company or started a new placement.

I can’t think of many other programmes that give apprentices the range of experience that this one does. I’m really excited to see what the rest of my career will be like if this is just the start.

Erika joined Sellafield Ltd in 2017, since then she has completed the Level 4 Trailblazer apprenticeship and a BSc in project management.

Reflecting on her time at school, she often had trouble studying but didn’t know the reason why.

Erika said:

I received my dyslexia diagnosis at the age of 19, almost halfway through the scheme. During my time in education, I achieved average exam results and always suspected that I had dyslexia but didn’t do anything about it. When I found out that 1 in 10 people have dyslexia, I consulted with the university and my line manager to organise an assessment.

With the support of the University of Cumbria I was able to access support and assistive technology which completely transformed how I studied and produced assignments. I have recently been part of the testing process for the roll out of assistive tech at Sellafield Ltd, so I now have the support I need at work.

I’m now working in projects, supporting asset care projects which contribute to the maintenance of waste management facilities that will be required to support operations until the site has been decommissioned.

I think my story shows that it’s never too late to achieve something, if you have the passion and interest in an area, you can really excel in it. If employees are given the correct tools and support, we really can succeed.