SUPPLY CHAIN | HANDS ON LEARNING Hands on learning
Nuclear is facing significant issues in meeting demand for skills development and recruitment. How can practical, hands-on learning help alleviate these challenges and shape the future workforce?
By Sim Sharphouse, Operations Manager, Salko UK
The industry can also look to introduce and implement ‘improverships’ by conducting assessments to identify current skills and areas for improvement among employees. Source: Shutterstock
AS TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES AND the demands of the nuclear industry increase, the need for well trained professionals is increasing. In parallel, the sector is facing a number of recruitment and skills challenges. With global nuclear employment projected to rise significantly by 2050, the International Atomic Energy Agency predicts that the industry will require over four million professionals to support the anticipated expansion in nuclear capacity. Historically, apprenticeships have long been
a go-to solution for industries looking to future- proof their workforce, offering essential on-the-job training alongside seasoned employees who bring vast understanding to their roles. Apprenticeships are designed to be on-the-job training that offers practical, hands-on, and industry specific experience, allowing trainees to develop skills that are directly aligned with their sector. However, apprenticeships don’t come as a guarantee of a future workforce. Many apprentices don’t finish training schemes and even those who are trained are not guaranteed to remain within the sector or focus their attention on areas of the industry that require tangible change in order to future-proof the workforce.
The role of practical, hands-on learning Aside from apprenticeships, industry leaders need to commit to dedicating team time to training and
34 | June 2026 |
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development. While apprenticeships offer the chance to learn skills at the start of an individual’s career, leaders within the industry can also look to introduce and implement ‘improverships’. These improverships would include conducting
assessments to identify current skills and areas for improvement among employees. This would identify where more efforts were needed to address gaps or uncertainties in knowledge as a group. One of the most overlooked issues in engineering is not simply a skills gap but a qualifications recognition gap. Across the sector, employees are informally upskilling – gaining site certifications, digital qualifications and specialist compliance knowledge. However, these achievements are not always formally recognised or strategically aligned with projected demand. When upskilling occurs without management
oversight or structured progression pathways, its impact is limited. For workforce development to be effective, qualifications must be mapped against future demand. Management teams need visibility of existing
competencies, upcoming retirements and emerging sector requirements. Without that strategic oversight, organisations risk investing in development that does not directly address critical shortages. To strengthen the workforce from within,
organisations must look beyond entry-level recruitment and introduce structured development pathways for
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