Placement students
Key information:
Qualifications: As a placement student you will undertake an extended period of practical training at Urenco as a formal component of your educational curriculum, usually a degree.
Disciplines: Engineering, Computer Science, Safety Case.
Duration: Typically 12 months (but this can be flexible).
Entry requirements: Must be currently enrolled within an educational body to be considered. We will review courses, modules and grades on a case by case basis.
Placement students
Our Engineering Placement Programme gives students the opportunity to gain real, hands-on experience and bridge the gap between university learning and real-world engineering by working alongside our engineering teams in a live operational environment.
Placements are typically 12 months long and are designed for students currently studying a relevant engineering or technical degree, usually as part of their course. As a placement student, you will be based within one of our engineering teams, contributing to real work and learning from experienced colleagues to develop practical skills that complement your academic studies and support your future career.
Placement opportunities are available across our Mechanical, Electrical and Process Engineering teams, depending on business need for each intake. No prior nuclear experience is required, just a willingness to learn, ask questions and apply your knowledge in practice.
Entry requirements
For our placement level roles, we require you to be currently enrolled onto a relevant university course, but in some cases we will accept your application if you are enrolled with another graduate programme and would like to join us on secondment. Please reach out to us in this instance.
We will review courses, modules and grades on a case by case basis. Predicted and achieved grades will need to be documented in your applications.
Applying and registering your interest
Placement opportunities are advertised in line with business need, so application windows my vary throughout the year. When roles are available, you will need to apply directly via our careers site.
If applications aren’t currently open, we recommend registering your interest using the form on this page. This allows us to keep you informed about future placement opportunities and relevant early careers events.
Meet our past and present placement students
Zach
Process Engineer
I initially joined Urenco in 2020 for a 13-month industrial placement as part of my Chemical Engineering university course, working within the Process Team at the Tails Management Facility at our Capenhurst site. After graduating from the University of Birmingham in 2022, I returned to Urenco to resume working in the same team with a particular focus on digital systems and plant performance.
Throughout my short time at the Tails Management Facility, I have seen the plant move from active commissioning to receiving our first feed to, more recently, ramping up production as we enter steadier operation. It has been a great opportunity to be able to work within a highly regulated environment on a new build plant and contribute to progression through multiple early life stages.
My role is varied with each day presenting a new challenge or an opportunity to improve. From performing a traditional process engineering role: producing calculations, designing a new control scheme or on plant conducting a trial. This complements the software-based element of my work: using programming skills to automate paper-based processes and improving process monitoring and visibility.
Urenco is a unique and innovative company which makes it a rewarding place to work. We perform critical functions in enabling the production of low-carbon, nuclear energy. There are few companies where you can truly say you are playing a tangible role in driving the global effort to transition to net zero.
Patrick
Process Engineering Placement Student
Coming into a placement role after only three years of university and working full time was daunting at first, but I was able to find my feet quickly at Urenco, becoming involved in a wide range of tasks and activities. Not only have I been able to gain a key understanding of industrial processes but I have been able to reaffirm my interest in the nuclear industry.
I have found that I have been able to undertake projects that have a benefit to the company, whilst bolstering my skill set so that I can come back to university for my final year with a whole new understanding and outlook on engineering problems. My main project this year involved the optimisation of our Cylinder Washing Process. Leading this project gave me a wide breadth of experience in managing a process from start to finish and liaising with different operations teams and discipline leads helped me grow my communication skills. Seeing this project come to fruition was extremely rewarding and it was nice to know I had had a positive impact on the process.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement here at Urenco and would recommend applying for a placement role whilst you are at uni. When I graduate I hope to return to the nuclear industry – it is such a vital part of achieving a net-zero future and that is something I want to be a part of.
Register your interest
Placement years at Capenhurst are an area we are looking to expand. If you don’t see what you are looking for in our current listings, you can register your interest below so we can get in touch when a suitable opportunity comes up.Careers Form UK
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