Nuclear sector apprenticeships launch
UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) Training add two apprentice schemes.
They are launching the Nuclear Health Physics Monitor and Nuclear Operative (Decommissioning) apprenticeships.
The UKAEA says this is a pivotal moment for the nuclear industries and the demand for skilled workers is 'soaring', with Sizewell C having been approved and £2.5bln committed to the fusion sector in the 2025 Spending Review.
It says to meet the twin targets of the Clean Energy Super Mission, as outlined in the UK Government's recent Clean Energy Jobs Plan, the clean energy workforce could nearly double from 2023-30.
UKAEA and MTC Training are therefore expanding their offer at the Oxfordshire Advanced Skills Training Centre at UKAEA's Culham Campus, where MTC Training has reportedly trained more than 400 apprentices since 2019.
To date, qualifications in Health Physics and Nuclear Operations have been concentrated at the Nuclear College in Cumbria and Bridgwater & Taunton College in Somerset. However, this Autumn, OAS has welcomed its first cohort of 36 learners on the new programmes.
The initiative is supported by UKAEA’s Fusion Opportunities in Skills, Training, Education & Research programme, part of the Government’s Fusion Futures investment, which aims to build a robust pipeline of talent for the UK’s clean energy sector.
