Press release
Culham apprentice named Advanced Apprentice of the Year
16 Mar 2026
Thomas on site in Culham.
Thomas Dominguez Walker, Assistant Cybernetics Engineer at UKAEA, based at the Culham Campus, has been named Advanced Apprentice of the Year at the Nuclear Skills Awards 2026.
13 March 2026: Thomas Dominguez Walker, an apprentice for the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) based at the Culham Campus, has been named Advanced Apprentice of the Year at the 18th Nuclear Skills Awards 2026.
Thomas was recognised for his attitude, technical ability, and hard work during his Level 3 apprenticeship, which saw him assigned to projects for the Robotics and AI Collaboration (RAICo), which is accelerating the deployment of robotics and AI in nuclear decommissioning and fusion engineering.
The UK Nuclear Skills Awards, organised by the National Skills Academy for Nuclear (NSAN) and Cogent Skills, showcase the excellence and achievements of individuals and companies across the nuclear sector. Winners were announced at an event in Manchester on 12 March 2026.
For his apprenticeship, Thomas undertook 18 months of three-month placements across the UKAEA, including three months at RACE, the UKAEA’s centre for Remote Applications in Challenging Environments. This was followed by a dedicated 18-month placement at RACE, including a year with RAICo, a collaboration between the UK Atomic Energy Authority, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Sellafield Ltd, the University of Manchester, and AWE Nuclear Security Technologies.
His role involved providing technical support to the organisation’s R&D projects, focusing on developing solutions to robotics and AI challenges. During his apprenticeship, he also completed a Higher National Certificate, a Level 4 vocational qualification equivalent to the first year of a university degree, gaining distinctions throughout.
Thomas is a passionate advocate for apprenticeships, supporting events to encourage others to consider apprenticeships and engineering careers. Having finished his apprenticeship, he now has a permanent role at UKAEA and RAICo.
In a Q&A with RAICo, published recently, Thomas said: “At the end of my apprenticeship, I was nominated by my group leader for the NSAN Advanced Apprentice of the Year. I’m proud to have that recognition, and being selected is genuinely exciting and a fantastic opportunity.
Getting to this stage takes sustained dedication, developing technical capability and building the soft skills that make projects and collaboration succeed. For me, that’s meant commitment to my apprenticeship studies, delivering on UKAEA and RAICo projects, and actively supporting others.
My qualifications have been challenging and rewarding, giving me recognised qualifications and practical experience. I hope winning the award encourages others to consider an engineering apprenticeship and see what they can do.”
Thomas operating Spot, the robotic quadruped.
James Ferrand, Principal Engineer & Group Leader, UK Atomic Energy Authority, commented: “Thomas has been an absolute pleasure to work with and manage over the last few years. He has really impressed me and built a fantastic reputation for his attitude to work. He has been excellent in picking up new technologies, striving to learn more both about the technology and where his work fits into the wider picture. I personally hold him as an example of the perfect apprentice for others to strive towards. Many congratulations, Thomas!”
ENDS
For further information, please contact: [email protected]
About RAICo
The Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Collaboration (RAICo) is a collaboration between the UK Atomic Energy Authority, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Sellafield Ltd, the University of Manchester, and AWE Nuclear Security Technologies. It aims to accelerate the deployment of robotics and AI in nuclear decommissioning and fusion engineering.