UK collaboration to promote nuclear careers

Three nuclear skills-related organization - the Nuclear Institute, National Skills Academy Nuclear and the Institution of Chemical Engineers - have teamed up to promote careers in the UK's nuclear energy industry.

Three nuclear skills-related organizations - the Nuclear Institute (NI), National Skills Academy Nuclear (NSAN) and the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) - have teamed up to promote careers in the UK's nuclear energy industry.

The signing of the agreement by NSAN CEO Jean Llewellyn, IChemE CEO David Brown and NI CEO John Warden (Image: Anna Saverimuttu)

The agreement, signed yesterday, will "facilitate closer alignment" between the three partners in their efforts to encourage people to choose careers in the nuclear industry.

In a joint statement, they said there is a "pressing need to raise awareness of the wide range of career opportunities across the nuclear fuel cycle from apprentices to postgraduate level."

According to the Nuclear Energy Skills Alliance - a grouping of government and nuclear skills bodies - the UK's nuclear industry workforce will grow from the current 70,000 to 98,000 by 2021. It forecasts that an extra 7500 people per year are required in the supply chain to meet current plans. Meanwhile, the manufacturing workforce required is expected to almost double, from 4000 in 2014 to 8500.

The collaboration between the NI, NSAN and IChemE has been welcomed by industry. Nuclear Decommissioning Authority CEO John Clarke said, "The highest standards of nuclear professionalism are required to ensure a safe and secure nuclear future - new build, existing operations, research and development, and decommissioning - for the UK."

NSAN chief executive Jean Llewellyn said, "The UK nuclear industry is going through a period of very significant growth and this will require a step change in the way recruitment and nuclear professionalism, at all levels, is addressed. By working collaboratively with IChemE and the NI we will be able to make a significant impact on this challenge opening up new entry routes into the sector and providing well-recognized and respected routes to professional recognition and development."

The partners' first work program will be published later this year.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News