TRAINING & RECRUITMENT | CLOSING THE GENDER GAP
Closing nuclear’s gender gap
Despite growing demand for talent, women remain underrepresented in nuclear engineering. Assystem’s chief people officer Vicky Proctor tells NEi about how the company is pioneering programmes to strengthen the pipeline, support career progression and drive wider industry change.
As demand for nuclear skills accelerates amid the global energy transition, employers must simultaneously replace an ageing workforce and attract a new generation of talent. Source: Andrey_ Popov/Shutterstock.
THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY FACES A DUAL workforce challenge. As demand for nuclear skills accelerates amid the global energy transition, employers must simultaneously replace an ageing workforce and attract a new generation of talent. Within that broader challenge, a longstanding issue has proven more difficult to solve: increasing the participation and progression of women working in the nuclear sector. For engineering consultancy Assystem, addressing that imbalance has become both a business imperative and a strategic priority. According to Vicky Proctor, Assystem’s chief people officer, the challenge extends far beyond recruitment. “We recognise that we can’t impact change on our own, no organisation can,” she tells NEi. “What we can do is help support and try to change the system from the inside out.” The company’s approach to this challenge spans the entire talent pipeline, from outreach in schools leadership development programmes and policies designed to improve retention and career progression.
Changing nuclear perception Proctor’s own career provides perspective on how the sector has evolved over more than two decades. At the time, much of the industry’s focus was on decommissioning and legacy waste management rather than new build or long-term growth. “I remember it being quite an ‘unsexy’ industry,” she
says. “Nuclear was seen as something that was in decline.” Today, she believes the narrative has changed
significantly, saying: “What’s been really interesting now that I’ve come back into the industry, is that there’s a really different proposition in terms of nuclear. Nuclear has turned from that dirty word into a real sustainable and viable energy source for the future.” The growing recognition of nuclear’s role in energy
security, decarbonisation and climate goals has certainly helped create a more compelling proposition for younger generations entering the workforce. That shift is proving important in attracting new entrants more broadly. Proctor comments: “People are joining the industry because they actually want to make a
28 | July 2026 |
www.neimagazine.com
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