UK schools programme seeks future engineers for fusion plant

A new UK-wide schools programme is set to spark children’s interest in fusion energy and demonstrate future opportunities.

STEP Forward will educate children about the technology and career opportunities for young people in the clean energy sector. The programme will be key in building a long-term skills pipeline for the STEP fusion power plant.

Launched by the University of Sheffield, the initiative, ‘STEP Forward’, has been developed by the University’s Maker {Futures} team to enable and support primary school teachers to deliver sessions across a range of topics that underpin the cutting-edge science and engineering required to develop the UK’s infrastructure for fusion energy.

The world's first commercial fusion power plant is planned at the site of a former coal power station at West Burton, in Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire, on the borders of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. It is due to come online in 2040.

Dr Alison Buxton, STEP Forward project lead and Senior Innovation Fellow at the University of Sheffield, says, ‘The programme toolkit will be made available to all schools in the UK in the new year, helping to build a long-term skills pipeline to provide opportunities for our young people for the careers of the future.

'By engaging children and young people today, the project aims to cultivate the workforce of tomorrow, full of creative thinkers, innovators, and problem-solvers who can play a key role in the UK’s clean energy transition.’

STEP Forward will initially be trialled in 21 primary schools across north Nottinghamshire and made available to primary schools across the UK from February 2026.