A team of design engineer graduates from Sellafield Ltd won the the Quality Education category at the prestigious Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Young Engineers Awards for Innovation and Sustainability.

The IChemE awards celebrate groundbreaking ideas in chemical engineering and supports IChemE’s vision for a more sustainable world.

The winning team—Joseph Carter, Alana Prior, Lara Hill, and Ben Hilton—were recognised for their project, A Novel Approach to Chemical Engineering Work Experience, which enhances Sellafield Ltd’s design engineering work experience programme.

Since taking charge of the programme’s process engineering section last September, the team introduced a practical phase separation activity, improved guidance for volunteers, refined the volunteering process to cover all 10 annual work experience weeks, and developed new resources for West Cumbria’s newly established design engineering work experience.

Their initiative aims to inspire future engineers by making chemical engineering more accessible, addressing skills shortages in the industry. Demand for chemical engineers in the UK has surged by 55% in the last five years, with an annual shortfall of up to 59,000 engineering professionals.

Team member, Ben Hilton, said:

We’re thrilled to have received this recognition from IChemE. Sellafield has great early careers programmes, and their work experience initiative is a fantastic way to get young people interested in engineering careers. We’ve been lucky to be part of the graduate programme, and it’s great to see young professionals getting the opportunity to shape and lead these schemes

On behalf of the rest of the team, I’d like to thank all of the volunteers and colleagues who supported this initiative. Their dedication and expertise have been invaluable in making the work experience programme as engaging and impactful as possible. Without their commitment, none of this would have been possible.

Head of education, skills and social mobility, Michelle Lambon-Wilks, said:

We are immensely proud to see this talented group of graduates receive recognition from IChemE. Their dedication and hard work have been truly outstanding, and this achievement is well deserved.

At the heart of our mission is a commitment to delivering high-quality early careers programmes that provide a strong foundation for professional success. We actively listen to those taking part, value their insights, and continuously refine our initiatives based on their feedback—ensuring they are as impactful and effective as possible.