AtkinsRéalis flexibility allowed me to choose the best career for me

Hello, I'm Isabella, a Graduate Process Engineer at AtkinsRéalis. I love my job, which is working in the Systems Design Team on Nuclear New Builds. During my second and third years of uni, I did two eight week summer placements at the organization.

Back then, I was studying Chemical Engineering and really interested in careers in renewable and nuclear energy.

The best kind of placement for me

The work was varied and challenging, and I was treated as a full member of the team from the start. Everyone around me offered support but never assumed that I couldn't do something. Being trusted like this meant that I learnt so much more than in previous, more structured placements.

Trusted and supported to get the job done

The majority of my work was unsupervised, and whenever I needed help, I asked more senior members of the team. I learnt a lot about the format and detail level of calculations or reports by first checking one authored by another member of the team.

Putting theory into practice

I produced design calculations for piping, pump and heat exchanger networks. This was a direct application of theory that I had learnt in my degree. However, the work extended it into contacting suppliers, taking into account cost and safety and performing the correct Q&A. I also drafted full-plant P&IDs and took part in on-site testing of safety systems in a semiconductor manufacturing plant.

Discovering my strengths

AtkinsRéalis helped me discover that "organization" is my biggest skill and that I work best when juggling many tasks.

Learning about Design and Analysis

In my first year, I worked in the Design and Analysis team, where I did corrosion control and also learnt to write python code to process simulation results. AtkinsRéalis were very flexible about where I did my second placement. I talked to people across the business about their work so I could pick the best fit for me.

Settling in Systems Design

In my second placement, I worked with the Systems Design team as a process engineer, which was far better suited to me. My favourite role within this team was authoring Process and Instrumentation Diagrams and presenting my designs in checking meetings.

Starting my career with the same team

After my placement, I was offered a place on the Graduate Development Programme. I'm now back in the same team – during my final year of uni, it was reassuring to know that I'd be able to continue the work I'd been doing with them.

My placements helped me decide on my future.

Being here helped me realize that AtkinsRéalis was a company that I would like to spend the next few years of my career with. They have a legacy of presenting environmentally sustainable and creative solutions, which was very important to me. They also focus on staff development and encourage independence, which suits the way I want to work.