Risk Management student has hands-on industrial placement at UK’s largest nuclear site

A GCU student has just finished an eye-opening placement at the largest UK nuclear site, giving her food for thought as a future career option.

Risk Management student Elizabeth Burns started her industrial placement at Sellafield Ltd back in 2021 and has since developed a wealth of knowledge about the risk operations that take place at the site.

Working as a Project Risk Practitioner, Elizabeth had the opportunity to consult on risk management advice, create risk management plans and even work towards accredited training.

Now at the end of the placement, we caught up with Elizabeth to find out about her overall experience and found out why the placement was so beneficial in helping map out her future career:

What is Risk Management? 

“Risk Management is a discipline that started to be studied after World War II. It consists of the identification, analysis, evaluation, treatment, and continual monitoring of risk. Risk can be defined as ‘’the combination of the probability of an event and its consequence’’.  

There is also potential for a risk to constitute opportunities for benefits (known as upside risk) or threats to success (known as downside risk). In an organisational setting, Risk Management is used to control what is known, as far as possible, through a proactive rather than reactive approach. There are many benefits of Risk Management, such as increased performance against objectives which optimises project and programme success.”

Sellafield Ltd and the placement

“I started my Industrial Placement with Sellafield Ltd in June 2021 and have found it very beneficial. Sellafield Ltd is the largest and most complex nuclear site in the UK and is the home to Western Europe’s biggest hazard, MSSS; a storage pond.

I learnt a wealth of knowledge relating to Risk, Project, Programme and Portfolio Management when I was working as a Project Risk Practitioner. This role involves creating documentation such as Risk Management Plans, facilitating frequent risk reviews, managing risk on databases and offering Risk Management advice which all help a project to successfully meet its objectives.

I had so many wonderful professional development opportunities; I was quite literally face to face with (safely packed) radioactive material, attended conferences, passed my accredited training courses such as the Association for Project Management, Project Management Qualification and even got to go inside the world’s first power station. My placement was a great way to put theory that I had learnt at university into practice, which helped me to justify decision my making. I developed many soft and hard skills such as team working, leadership and work ethic throughout my placement which will aid my graduate employability.”

Reflection

“Working alongside a large company like Sellafield (15,000+ employees) was exciting but also challenging at times. The work environment is very fast paced and dynamic, which took me some time to adapt to, but I ended up loving it. My placement helped me to develop on a professional but also personal level. I now know what to expect when returning to the workplace and know how to better manage myself to enhance my experiences.

I met many inspirational individuals and felt very grateful for my supportive and encouraging team. As for my role, I ended up filling a vacant post which was over and above the typical responsibility of a placement student but helped me to gain self-confidence and other key workplace skills such as communication and team working.

Seeing and being involved in the real-life application of Risk Management in such a complex organisation with such dangerous facilities was invigorating but daunting at times too. I was fully supported but still had full responsibility for my work which encouraged a sense of achievement.”

Going forward 

“My placement has definitely helped me to plan my future career; the paths, opportunities and roles to consider. Working in the Nuclear Industry is nothing short of fascinating. Going forward, I cannot wait to return to the Nuclear Industry after graduating to have more incredible experiences.

I would definitely recommend students to do an Industrial Placement where possible to develop crucial workplace skills and knowledge.”

By Rachael McAlonan

Got a SCEBE or GSBS story? Email me at Rachael.McAlonan@gcu.ac.uk or connect with me on social media  here