Latest News

AWE has launched its first Career Returners Programme, which is designed to support experienced professionals return to their field following a career break and help with their transition back to work.   The programme is open to anyone who’s taken a break from their career for two years or more – but is mainly aimed at women who’ve taken time out to bring […]

Sian Butler, Executive Director at AWE, has been honoured at the annual Women in Nuclear UK (WiN UK) Awards.

Like other large organisations, AWE has had to adapt during the pandemic – both as an employer and a responsible business. Throughout the last year, AWE’s sites at Aldermaston and Burghfield have remained operational, but responsive to an ever-changing situation while continuing to support the defence and security of the UK. For our critical workers, […]

Local-based charity, New Beginnings has been chosen by AWE staff as worthy recipients of a £5,000 donation. New Beginnings is a charity focused on the prevention and relief of poverty and financial hardship of persons in Reading and the Greater Berkshire area. Each year AWE staff can nominate local charities or good causes close to […]

New research published in Nature Comms sheds light on a fundamental phenomenon in plasma physics The Universe is full of spectacular events where flowing plasmas – collections of charged ions and electrons – collide, releasing energy as magnetic fields reconfigure and reconnect. In some instances, this causes ions to accelerate to high energy. Close to […]

AWE is entering into a partnership with the University of Surrey, which is launching a new Centre of Excellence in Materials Ageing, Performance and Life Prediction The University’s long-standing expertise in materials science and engineering and its strengths in advanced characterisation of materials in demanding environments, underpin the partnership. Professor Norman Godfrey, AWE Deputy Chief […]

AWE plc has been fined following a guilty plea to a charge brought by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. This was in relation to an incident at AWE’s Aldermaston site in June 2019, comprising a flash-over of electricity when a contractor’s […]

AWE scientist, Kirk Duroe has been recognised with the 2020 Clifford Paterson medal and prize from the renowned Institute of Physics. Kirk’s award is a Bronze Early Career medal which recognises exceptional physicists in the early stages of their careers. The Institute of Physics’ medal was in recognition of Kirk’s expert technical advice to the […]

We are delighted to announce that AWE’s Skills Academy has been named as Macro Employer of the Year winner for the South East region at this year’s National Apprenticeship Awards. It is a further accolade for AWE’s highly regarded apprenticeship scheme this year. The National Apprenticeship Awards highlight business and individual success in apprenticeships and […]

AWE is supporting Road Safety Week, the UK’s biggest road safety event, coordinated annually by Brake, the road safety charity. It involves millions of people around the UK taking action for safer roads. Road Safety Week aims to inspire thousands of schools, organisations and communities to take action on road safety and promote life-saving messages. […]

AWE welcomes the Chief Nuclear Inspector’s Annual Report 2019/20 published today (11 November) by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). We have continued to make safety improvements in many areas over the past year by delivering a more ‘holistic approach’ to safety management and welcome the news that with sustained improvement, our sites at Aldermaston […]

We have published our first Responsible Business Report. It explains exactly what a ‘responsible business’ is and why it is so important. The report covers AWE’s commitment to being carbon neutral by 2030, linking our sustainability and development goals to the 2015 Paris agreement and the United Nations; Sustainable Development Goals and achievements in employee […]

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has advised AWE plc of its intention to prosecute the company under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 in relation to an electrical incident which occurred on 20 June 2019. AWE has indicated a guilty plea to the Court and to ONR, with […]

AWE is proud to announce its nationally-recognised Skills Academy has been honoured at a recent awards ceremony celebrating outstanding achievements in the apprenticeship market. At a virtual ceremony, AWE was named as one of the Top 100 employers by RateMyApprenticeship – a review-based platform to help those seeking apprenticeships. This online platform is based on […]

 In recognition of AWE’s improved Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) activity through benchmarking with the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (enei), AWE is proud to announce that this year it’s reached the Silver Award Standard. The Talent, Inclusion and Diversity Evaluation (TIDE) is an annual self-evaluation against best practice across all Diversity and Inclusion categories, […]

On 23rd June, AWE and many other organisations celebrate International Women in Engineering Day – an international awareness campaign which raises the profile of women in engineering and celebrates the good things women engineers do. The day also serves to inspire others to embark on a career in engineering. This year’s theme is ‘Shape The […]

AWE prides itself on its standards of environmental management and in conserving and enhancing the AWE estate. This week, coinciding with World Environment Day, we are publishing our commitments to improving our wildlife habitats in a five-year Biodiversity Action Plan, the first to be published externally. Biodiversity is a key theme of our wider Environmental […]

During Mental Health Awareness Week, AWE is pleased to congratulate materials scientist, Paul Ryan who has won the Wellbeing Champion award at the Mind Workplace Wellbeing Index Employee Awards. MIND’s annual employee recognition awards acknowledge outstanding individuals who play a key role in promoting positive mental health within their workplace. The Wellbeing Champion award is […]

  This issue of Connect contains details of new emergency planning arrangements around the AWE sites. You can read more about these changes in the Radiation Emergency Preparedness and Public Information Regulations (REPPIR) booklet here. You can also find more information on the West Berkshire Council website.   legislation?

As of 15 May 2020, we are delighted to welcome Alison Atkinson, as our new acting CEO and MD, taking over from Iain Coucher. Under Iain’s leadership, AWE made significant improvements in production operations and the management of key capital projects, and prepared AWE for the challenges of the future while maintaining our focus on […]