Almost three hundred young people started their nuclear career with Sellafield Ltd this month as the company welcomed the new cohorts of 200 apprentices and 88 graduates.

The latest intake means that the company has more than 600 apprentices currently completing their training with the company and our training provider, GEN2 in West Cumbria and Wigan and with Leigh in Risley.

Donna Connor, head of education and skills at Sellafield Ltd, said:

The sheer numbers of apprentices and graduates we continue to train and employ every year clearly demonstrates our commitment to investing in the next generation of nuclear workers.

Beyond the volume of recruits, we are particularly proud of the variety of training opportunities we are able to provide, with 18 different apprenticeship schemes. Our graduate scheme is also diverse with people starting their careers in science, engineering, technology, project management, business, and safety roles.

Sellafield Ltd was recently voted in the top 100 apprentice employers in the country for 2022.

Copeland MP Trudy Harrison said:

I’m delighted that once again Sellafield Ltd is recruiting an impressive number of apprentices and graduates across a range of courses who now have the chance of an exciting career at the most complex nuclear site in Europe.

Georgia Nevins is on the nuclear operator apprentice scheme. She said:

I’d heard a lot about Sellafield Ltd from family and friends that work here. It excited me as it offers lots of opportunities for personal development, I chose the nuclear operator route as it sounded interesting and worthwhile.

I wanted to be part of the biggest employer in the area and contribute towards its goal. I feel really privileged to be employed by Sellafield Ltd.

The apprentices will complete their training across multiple disciplines, from Level 2 (GCSE equivalent) to Level 6 (degree level) schemes.

Those who have joined the graduate schemes will embark on a two-year programme designed to develop their behavioural, business, and technical skills.

Marc Skillen, Sellafield Ltd’s graduate development manager, said:

It is amazing to welcome 88 graduates – one of our biggest ever single intakes – from all corners of the country.

The breadth and depth of knowledge and skill that they carry will undoubtedly bring innovation and creativity to help us achieve our purpose of creating a clean and safe environment for future generations.

As part of their formal welcome to Sellafield Ltd the graduates have already been involved in activities such as behavioural development, understanding what it means to be a nuclear professional, attending the Nuclear Vision Conference and working on a local community project.

There has been a large increase in the number of digital mental health tools on the market in recent years. However, these products present regulatory challenges such as clarity around whether they are medical devices and, if so, which risk classification they would fall under.

Wellcome has therefore provided £1.8m of funding to help improve regulatory certainty and safety in this high growth, high impact area, focussing on producing guidance for appropriate, risk-proportionate regulation of digital mental health products.

The project will review key aspects of medical device regulations to produce guidance that will support digital mental health in several significant areas. These include determining what qualifies as a medical device, the risk classification they would fall under, as well as a review of the current evidence base for these devices.

To do this, we will engage with and learn from people with lived experience, subject experts and patients to inform their conclusions, as well as working with international partners to help drive shared learning and consensus in digital mental health regulations globally.

In this way, it is hoped that certain mental health software will be proportionately regulated as a medical device, meaning the public has access to effective and safe products that can significantly help protect or improve their mental health.

Minister for Mental Health, Dr Caroline Johnson, said:

Digital mental health tools can be incredibly useful to help build resilience and prevent problems worsening, but it’s crucial these are regulated properly.

This funding will help us to better understand these products and give us the tools to make sure everyone who uses them has access to safe, effective support.

Johan Ordish, Head of Software and AI at the MHRA said:

Digital mental health tools offer millions of people vital support and guidance to explore and help manage their mental health issues every day.

However, there are a number of regulatory complexities in establishing when these products should be regulated and what evidence they must have to demonstrate safety and effectiveness.

We need to make sure that we are able to answer these questions, to ensure that patients can be confident in the choices they make to support their mental health.

Mark Salmon, programme director for Information Services at NICE, said:

This work is one way both organisations can simplify and streamline the process of getting wide-scale adoption of safe, clinical and cost-effective digital mental health products into the hands of the people who need them and help ease the pressure on the NHS.

Dr Miranda Wolpert, Director of Mental Health at Wellcome, said:

As an increasing number of people turn to digital tools for support with mental health problems, we believe that getting the right level of regulation is vital.

At Wellcome, we support the development of new and improved interventions for mental health, which includes digital interventions. One of the ways that we can encourage the development of tools that genuinely help and support as many people as possible will be through risk-appropriate guidance and regulation.

The MHRA will be engaging with and learning from people with lived experience of mental health conditions, helping to ensure that that the regulation is at the right level, relevant and robust.

In July 2022, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched its investigation into Morrisons reported £190 million purchase of stores owned by McColl’s Retail Group Plc.

Following its Phase 1 investigation, the CMA found that the deal would not harm the vast majority of shoppers or other businesses, but that it raised competition concerns in 35 areas. The two retailers accepted these concerns and engaged with the CMA in discussing potential remedies.

Morrisons has now offered to divest 28 McColl’s stores to a purchaser or purchasers to be approved by CMA. This includes 26 stores in England (in areas such as Swindon, Lincoln and Brentwood), 1 store in Scotland (Perth) and 1 store in Wales (Newport).

The CMA is minded to accept these proposals, which appear to be suitable to restore the loss of competition brought about by the deal across each of the 35 local areas. While the number of McColl’s stores that Morrisons is proposing to sell is lower than the number of areas in which concerns were identified, the sale of some stores would address the concerns in multiple areas.

The CMA is now consulting on the proposals – known as undertakings – for the sale of these stores. If the CMA accepts the proposals, the deal would be cleared to proceed.

Sorcha O’Carroll, CMA Senior Director of Mergers, said:

Our preliminary view is that the sale of these stores will preserve competition in these local areas and prevent consumers from losing out due to this deal, at a time when shoppers are already facing rising prices.

If, after reviewing the responses to our consultation, we conclude that the competition issues have been addressed, the deal will be cleared.

McColl’s operates convenience newsagent shops, with over 1,100 stores across England, Scotland, and Wales, while Morrisons (owned by parent company Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R)) has around 500 grocery stores in the UK. CD&R is also the parent company of the Motor Fuel Group (MFG). MFG owns over 800 convenience stores, the vast majority of which are attached to its petrol stations.

For more information, or to respond to our consultation, visit the Morrisons/McColl’s merger inquiry page.

1. The CMA is publishing a notice of consultation and the text of the Proposed Undertakings, alongside the text of the Phase 1 decision of 8 September 2022 and the decision of 23 September 2022 that the CMA is considering undertakings offered by Morrisons. The CMA’s consultation is scheduled to run until 24 October 2022.
2. On 8 September 2022, following a Phase 1 review, the CMA has found that Morrisons acquisition of McColl’s gives rise to a realistic prospect of substantial lessening of competition (SLC) in relation to retailers in 35 local areas across England, Scotland and Wales.
3. The CMA served an initial enforcement order on 25 May 2022, requiring the companies to operate independently, as they did before the purchase, and the order remains in force. Details of the order can be found on the Morrisons/McColl’s merger inquiry page.
4. The list of the 28 McColl’s stores can be found here.
5. All media enquiries should be directed to the CMA press office by email on press@cma.gov.uk, or by phone on 020 3738 6460.