Meet Jack, 21, who's a remote vehicle operator at Sellafield nuclear site. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
Jack
I'm Jack. I'm 21 years old, and I'm a Remote Operated Vehicle pilot for Sellafield Ltd.
Sellafield is a nuclear decommissioning plant, which manages nuclear waste in the UK. As far as my job role, I fly the ROVs in different control stations. A ROV is a Remote Operated Vehicle, which is kind of like a mini submarine in a way because it would go into the water and fly around underneath the water surface and clear up the nuclear waste.
So I find every day different. Some days I could be doing fuel consolidation, which is picking up the fuel from certain areas and putting into the fuel skids, or I could be doing sludge scooping, which involves scooping sludge off the floor of the pond.
At the site the health and safety guidelines are there to be followed. Mainly with the job I'm doing it's more the contamination risks. So every day I have to wear the CPD which beeps whenever I am in a higher dose area. And every time I leave I have to frisk myself so I'm not contaminated and I know that I am safe to leave. It's important to constantly monitor our radiation dose to keep us healthy and safe.
I find the subjects I took at GCSE really helped me in my job today. I took Maths, Triple Science, IT and History. After GCSEs I decided to go to sixth form. I did a year and I didn't enjoy it. I always thought that an apprenticeship was a better idea. So, instead of carrying on sixth form then eventually maybe going on to uni, I decided to apply for an apprenticeship. I had the opportunity to work in different teams before I settled in this position.
I found progressing on to the ROV team a natural choice because it incorporates all my skills from school. I feel like working here was the right choice for me as it's a job for life, it can progress my career and ultimately it's making the world a safer place.
I feel like working here was the right choice for me as it's a job for life, it can progress my career and ultimately it's making the world a safer place.
- Part of Jack's role is controlling ROVs (Remote Operated Vehicles) under water to collect nuclear waste
- No two days are the same for Jack – he could be doing fuel consolidation (moving fuel to a holding container) on one day and sludge scooping the next
- Of the subjects Jack took at GCSE, Maths and Triple Science were the ones he found really helped him with his current role
- Jack didn't really enjoy sixth form and after a year he stopped and tried the apprenticeship route. He was able to try different roles at Sellafield until he found the perfect fit.
A similar job to a remote vehicle operator is a chemical plant process operator. Chemical plant process operators control machinery that makes chemical products, like paints, cleaning fluids and cosmetics.
What to expect if want to be a chemical plant process operator
- Chemical plant process operator average salary: £18,000 to £37,000 per year
- Chemical plant process operator typical working hours: 40 to 44 hours per week
What qualifications do you need to be a chemical plant process operator?
You could get into this role via a college course (such as a Level 1 certificate, a Level 2 Diploma, or a T-level in Maintenance, Installation and Repair for Engineering and Manufacturing from 2022 - England-only), an apprenticeship, or applying directly if you have relevant experience.
Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service, GOV.UK
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed and the GOV.UK website for more on T-levels.
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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