Sellafield Ltd has invited Year 10 learners interested in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) to participate in the ‘Evolve’ work experience programme.

Evolve is a five-day programme that allows students to gain essential skills for their future careers and, so far, more than 100 students have participated, with participants coming from 11 different schools in West Cumbria, as well as home-learners.

Participants will work as a project team to develop a solution for remotely monitoring the hundreds of kilometres of pipework at Sellafield, which is critical to the operation of the site. Learners are given the change to investigate, design, and develop proposals for remote inspection using technology before presenting their solutions to the Sellafield Ltd team.

The programme allows students to connect and collaborate with other nuclear professionals from different areas of the business including robotics, project management, engineering, quality and commissioning.

Students will also have the change to tour RAICo1, Whitehaven’s Robotics and AI facility, and see demonstrations from UKAEA, the University of Manchester, and Sellafield LTd.

Rav Chunilal, head of robotics and artificial intelligence, said: “It’s incredible to welcome so many young, bright minds to the programme and see their passion for robotics at Sellafield come to life.

“Programmes like Evolve are game-changers. At Sellafield, we invest in our people to develop and empower the next generation. They’re essential for building a pipeline of talent, ensuring that Sellafield has the skilled experts it needs for the future. This isn’t just about learning, it’s about giving learners the chance to tackle real-world challenges we face on site.

“Through this experience, we hope they discover how exciting and viable a career in future technologies such as robotics and AI can be and understand the crucial role these technologies play in helping Sellafield achieve its mission.”