The South West’s nuclear workforce has reached its highest level ever, with 31,000 people now employed in the sector – a 15% increase in just one year, according to a new report from the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA).
The NIA’s annual Jobs Map reveals that the region now boasts the UK’s largest nuclear workforce, triple the size it was a decade ago when just 8,000 people worked in the industry.
The dramatic rise is largely attributed to the ongoing construction of EDF’s Hinkley Point C near Burnham-On-Sea, which currently employs around 12,500 people on site and is one of Europe’s largest construction projects.
The project has also become a hub for skills development, having trained over 1,500 apprentices to date. Economic investment in the region has soared, with over £5.3 billion spent across the South West – far exceeding the original target of £1.5 billion.
Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of the NIA, said: “The growth of the South West workforce is a clear testament to the importance of projects like Hinkley Point C, which is critical to the region’s prosperity. Not only is it creating thousands of skilled jobs and apprenticeships, but it is also investing in the long-term economic security of the region.”
Among those benefiting is Ignas Bergelis, an 18-year-old geospatial surveying apprentice from Wellington, who said: “I enjoy that I am getting hands-on experience and learning from everyone around me, whilst also earning at the same time.”
Stanley Taylor, an electrical apprentice with Balfour Beatty, adds: “Being one of the apprentices building Hinkley Point C gives you a great sense of achievement. You learn and earn at the same time, plus you’re part of a project with a great sense of community.”
