When Emily realised her career in hospitality was not compatible with a young family, she knew she needed to make a change. She’d never considered a career in nuclear before, but discussions with her spouse, a project manager in the nuclear sector, revealed parallels in their roles.

“Trying to maintain a good work-life balance while working as a manager in the hospitality sector was really difficult; work often involved long, unsociable hours and weekend shifts,” says Emily.

With 12 years of experience in the hospitality field, Emily was confronted with a difficult choice: how to balance her desire for career progression with bringing up two daughters.

With the help of a project management fundamentals course, she gained a clear understanding of the role. It was a step in the right direction, and soon after, Emily came across a LinkedIn advert for Amentum, hiring project managers and offering opportunities to those with no prior PM experience.

It didn’t take long before she landed her first role in November 2021. Almost overnight, she found the support and opportunities needed to make it a successful transition. Working on a framework for one of Amentum's largest UK clients gave her exposure to both external and internal stakeholders, which aligned to her communication skills. And, Amentum’s New to Nuclear Academy provided an excellent foundation to increase her knowledge of the sector and take on a project management role.

“This opportunity came at the perfect time for me; it was a fast-paced role and extremely interesting. It provided so many learning opportunities,” she explains.

The hard work quickly paid off. Emily joined a new team in Warrington and the support she received from her new line manager and team has given her the confidence to continue pursuing a long-term career in nuclear.

“I love learning about what other people are working on, and I often join meetings to learn about successes in the business, most recently listening to a call about our work in the UK space sector,” she says.

There’s no playbook for starting a brand new career path. But Emily's story is just one of many examples of successful career transitions in the nuclear sector. By leveraging her transferable skills and taking advantage of the diverse training and development programs offered, Emily was able to rapidly upskill and progress her career in a short space of time. While it may be uncomfortable, sometimes taking a leap into the unknown is the fastest route to reaching your potential.