PM announces ‘national endeavour’ to build nuclear workforce and warns of China ‘threat’

In a statement on 24 March, the government said domestic nuclear capabilities are vital to “our national defence and energy security” and said the UK’s capabilities underpin “our nuclear deterrent and securing cheaper, more reliable energy for UK consumers”.

China Threat

Appearing before the House of Commons Liaison Committee on 26 March, the prime minister highlighted the government's work to deal with the “threat” that China poses to the UK’s critical national infrastructure and specifically cited the government’s decision to remove the China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) as co-owners of Sizewell C.

CGN remains a co-owner of Hinkley Point C with EDF Energy. However, in the last year it has halted its funding for the project, leaving EDF and the government to tackle the burden of spiralling costs and construction delays.

The UK’s nuclear deterrent is the sea-based nuclear-weapons armed submarine system called Trident which is formed of four vessels, at least one of which is always at sea. Some or all of the remaining three remain at port for upgrades, repairs and maintenance.

Building the UK civil nuclear workforce

The country’s civil nuclear industry is set to expand under the government’s ambitions set out in the Civil nuclear: roadmap to 2050, where it said it wants to see 24GW of new nuclear delivered, including by large nuclear plants such as Sizewell C, as well as small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced modular reactors (AMRs).

A significant uplift in workforce capacity will need to take place to deliver that ambition and the government said 50% more highly skilled workers will be needed in the next 10 years for both the nuclear weapons and civil nuclear power industries. The government said that by 2030, 123,000 people will be needed for the nuclear power targets alone.

To meet this challenge, the government has said it is partnering with industry including BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, EDF and Babcock, “to invest at least £763M by 2030 in skills, jobs and education”.

It said this would create “more than 8,000 career opportunities to help the sector fill 40,000 new jobs by the end of the decade” and will also support plans to double the number of nuclear apprentices and graduates and quadruple the number of people undertaking specialist science and nuclear fission PhDs.

“The investment in nuclear skills,” the government said, “includes £350M from the government and more than £400M from industry”, which will “create some 5,000 new apprenticeships in the next four years.”

It committed to pursuing the creation of roles for specialist scientists and engineers, welders, electricians, project managers and Royal Navy submariners for Trident and its replacement.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak said: “Safeguarding the future of our nuclear deterrent and nuclear energy industry is a critical national endeavour.

“In a more dangerous and contested world, the UK’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent is more vital than ever.

“And nuclear delivers cheaper, cleaner home-grown energy for consumers.

“That’s why we are investing in Barrow, the home of UK submarines, and in the jobs and skills of the future in the thriving British nuclear industry.

“Today we usher in the next generation of our nuclear enterprise, which will keep us safe, keep our energy secure, and keep our bills down for good.”

Babcock International CEO and member of the Nuclear Skills Executive Council David Lockwood said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the UK to deliver a stronger nuclear industry that will contribute to the resilience of the UK’s independent deterrent and will support the UK’s energy security ambitions and net zero targets.

“As well as providing bedrock support for the ambitious development required across industry and government for the AUKUS programme.”

AUKUS is the joint military technology programme between Australia, the UK and the USA to deliver a new generation of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.

Lockwood went on to say Babcock “is proud of the leading role it is taking in driving forward initiatives to retain and grow the critical mass of nuclear skills we need today and tomorrow.

“We have a keen focus on our major nuclear sites in the South West of England and in Scotland and are determined to leverage the benefits of the NNSPS, with our customers and other industry partners, across the broader communities we serve.”

EDF in the UK CEO and member of the Nuclear Skills Executive Council Simone Rossi said: “EDF welcomes the joint commitments announced today and looks forward to working with Government and industry to help deliver the great opportunities for people who choose to work in the nuclear sector.

“EDF has been at the heart of the UK’s nuclear energy sector for over 15 years and in 2024 is hiring a further 1,000 people into its UK nuclear family – in operations, construction, engineering support and many other exciting roles.

“The majority of these will be apprentices and graduates, as well as those with relevant skills from other industries.

“As we have learned in recent years there is an urgent need to attract, train and inspire the next generation of people who can design, build, operate and decommission existing and new nuclear facilities.”

Sizewell C joint managing director Julia Pyke said: “Sizewell C is a great example of the potential of developing low-carbon energy projects here in the UK.

“Our project on the Suffolk coast will support around 70,000 jobs, create 1,500 apprenticeships, and help to develop Britain as a home for nuclear skills and expertise.”

The triggering of Sizewell C’s development consent order (DCO) in January 2024 led project leaders to set out their ambitions on how to secure the highly skilled workforce needed to build the nuclear power station.

Pyke went on to say “It’ll be a game-changer for this part of the country, too, with thousands of jobs and local investment set to leave a lasting legacy for the East of England region.

“We want the project’s opportunities to be open to all, too.

“With the recent appointment of Tilly Spencer as Sizewell C’s Technical Director, for example, our project’s leadership team is now 55% female; we’ve committed to ensuring our apprenticeship programme is 50% female; and our workforce as a whole is over 40% female.”

Costain director of defence and nuclear energy Bob Anstey said: “The UK’s nuclear energy industry is a hugely important sector and will welcome the additional support from government.

“There is an urgent need for the UK to attract, retain and inspire the next generation of engineers and technicians to support to the UK’s growing civil nuclear infrastructure ecosystem.

“Recognising the skills shortfall - and addressing this through public and private sector investment - will be critical for making a future vision of safe, affordable, low carbon energy a reality.

“With a strong pipeline of opportunities and a clear purpose to safeguard the nation’s energy supply, we know that making improvements and upgrades to the UK’s civil nuclear infrastructure goes a long way towards creating jobs and levelling-up regional economies, fuelling a virtuous circle that goes above and beyond energy security.”

Nuclear Industry Association chief executive Tom Greatrex said: “This is a very welcome investment which will help ensure we have enough people with the right skills to ramp up nuclear capacity to the levels needed for energy security.

“It is a great opportunity for the government and industry to work together to attract workers into an exciting and cutting-edge sector that will play a vital role in the UK's journey to net zero.

“Meeting the UK's ambitious nuclear targets will require a huge ramp up in all parts of the workforce from engineering to construction so it is important we attract and train the next generation of nuclear workers so that we keep pace with other countries that are doing the same.

“The industry, which is match-funding the government's investment, stands ready to do all it can to support in that endeavour.”

National Nuclear Laboratory chief HR officer Clare Barlow said: “This offers a significant opportunity for highly skilled British jobs up and down the country.

“As the UK's national laboratory for nuclear fission, we are in a unique position to develop experts in the sector.

“This includes attracting skilled professionals into nuclear, investing in our people and advising on the UK capabilities that will be needed to underpin and develop nuclear science, R&D and deployment for decades to come.

“As a sector, we are invested in continuing to work together to tackle the skills challenge ahead.

“This includes our participation in the industry-wide ‘Destination Nuclear’ project to attract new people into the sector.”

The University of Sheffield hosts the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and is also involved with the Nuclear AMRC which is partnered with the University of Manchester’s Dalton Nuclear Institute and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult.

Nuclear AMRC supply chain and skills director Liz Gregory said: “This is a welcome intervention that builds on a lot of what's been happening in the sector recently, through the Nuclear Skills Taskforce and work with Great British Nuclear, to join up civil and defence to address shared challenges in skills and capabilities.

“Investment in apprenticeships is always welcome, but to deliver new nuclear power and new submarines, we need to help people enter the industry at all levels including through career conversions from other sectors.

“There's also a need to help companies further down the nuclear supply chain to train the people and develop the technical capabilities they need to meet demand from the industry primes.

“Manufacturing innovation in the supply chain can actually help mitigate the demands on the workforce, by helping skilled people such as nuclear-qualified welders be more productive."

Prospect - a workers’ union, senior deputy general secretary Sue Ferns said: “A comprehensive strategy for nuclear skills is essential if the UK is to accelerate the rollout clean power and meet its energy security and net zero goals.

“The civil nuclear sector is a growth engine for the UK, employing more than 75,000 people and supporting local economies up and down the country, but underinvestment in skills is holding us back.

“Nearly two-thirds of nuclear workers report skills shortages or gaps in their workplace. Addressing this must be a priority for any government serious about the UK’s nuclear future.”

The Office for Nuclear Regulation chief executive and chief nuclear inspector Mark Foy said: “The nuclear industry is entering a period of change and increased demand, signalled by the launch of Great British Nuclear in April 2023, as part of the British Energy Security Strategy.

“This is in addition to the major investment already established by the Ministry of Defence for its nuclear propulsion and strategic weapons programmes.

“As the industry prepares to support a growing nuclear portfolio, the increasing demand for people with the skills to deliver the ambition across the civil and defence sectors presents a particular challenge.

“ONR will continue to work with industry, government, and other stakeholders to ensure a successful cross-sector approach that builds a resilient, capable workforce for the future.

“A regulatory priority for us, to ensure the safe and secure delivery of the UK’s civil and defence ambitions.

“As the national nuclear safety regulator, we recognise our important role in enabling the Defence Nuclear Enterprise to safely deliver the national endeavour set out in the Defence Command Paper.”

Opposition

However, not all parties have been responsive to the new pledges.

CND general secretary Kate Hudson said: “Just weeks after the dust has settled on a budget that did nothing to address the real problems that we face, the government has made yet more public money available for Britain’s nuclear weapons industry and is unusually linking nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the same breath.

“It’s good that the prime minister is owning up to the linkage, but the suggestion that they are needed for both national and energy security is a complete fallacy.

“As the long-delayed Hinkley Point C shows, nuclear power is neither a timely nor cost-effective way of generating electricity.”

Hudson said it was “extremely cynical of the government to use a genuine issue like energy security to greenwash nuclear power and nuclear weapons.

“The additional funding pumped into these will inevitably find its way into the pockets of investors through government contracts financed by the public.”

Like what you've read? To receive New Civil Engineer's daily and weekly newsletters click here.