Last updated 16:02, Wednesday, 23 July 2008

TWO months in, and as things settle down another ball is thrown in for us to juggle… Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). So, as well as the day job and the lives we have created for ourselves, we now have to dedicate 10 per cent of our time to working in the community.

I’d be lying if I said I had bought into the idea of CSR straight away. To begin with, I felt it was a PR exercise. It seemed like an add-on to my day job, a non-negotiable part of this scheme based around ticking all the right boxes, everything it was supposed not to be.

However, following our induction when the representatives from a number of local projects told us what they did, I began to see there was a lot more to this than I had initially thought. I now see that this is an important part of this scheme.

The nuclear industry has the potential to have a huge impact on the communities in which it operates. Due to the nature of the work of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, that impact is often said to be negative.

The roles we are going to play through CSR are just a small part of what the NDA is doing to combat that image and show that it really is concerned about the impact of decommissioning.

Coming from a community that is likely to be severely impacted upon by the activities of decommissioning I’m glad to see that something is being done.

The NDA is doing a lot to support the Cumbrian community, especially associated with skills. With a history of operating in the nuclear industry, Cumbria is ideally placed to play a significant role in the dealing with the nuclear legacy, something which the NDA has recognised.

This fact is not only demonstrated by the presence of two Cumbrians on the Nuclear Graduate scheme but also through the NDA’s support of Energus, the development of a West Cumbria university campus and West Lakes Academy in Egremont.

All of these represent an exciting time for students, for Cumbria and for the nuclear industry and I only hope that I get to be involved.

I do wonder if my time at school would have been different had the opportunities these investments provide been available then.

As I approached my GCSEs I wanted to be a teacher: I wasn’t even considering the sciences or engineering. Luckily for me I’ve still been able to get into this business but hopefully more young people will begin to realise that working in the sciences or in a trade is a good choice and that there are still opportunities to be had within the nuclear industry.

Over the next few months I’ll be spending more time on CSR and I’ll be making use of my social geography skills and knowledge of the area looking at how CSR can be undertaken more effectively.

I won’t be working alone; I’ll be with two of the other graduates Rhian Jones and Alex Adams, an interesting team I must say. There will also be the other six graduates who are in the area out and about doing their bit. So if you happen to come across us… be nice.