My Journey Into Nuclear - and Why I Built This Platform

By Andrew Crabtree, Founder

 

Get Into Nuclear was founded to help career changers, graduates, investors, and businesses find their path into the UK nuclear industry - no matter their background.

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Nuclear Isn’t Just an Industry -  It’s a Mission. Here’s Why I Built Get Into Nuclear.

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When I left school at 16, I had one goal: play professional rugby. That was it—nothing else mattered. But by 18, reality hit, and I started exploring careers. The options I was presented with were limited: brickie, plasterer, joiner, painter, or go to university. After a summer on a building site with my dad, I knew I needed a different path. So, I went to university.

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Three years later, I was playing semi-pro rugby at Swinton but struggling to find a career. After nine months of job applications, door-knocking, answering phones at QVC, and pulling pints, I finally landed a role as a cashier at the Royal Bank of Scotland. I stayed for six years, worked my way up to Bank Manager, and genuinely enjoyed it - until 2008, when the banking world began to unravel.

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“After years in professional rugby and financial services, I found myself working on the UK’s largest nuclear infrastructure project. I launched Get Into Nuclear to help others just like me realise they already have what it takes to join this vital, world-changing sector.”

 

At the time, I was playing at Oldham (see attached dodgy photo), and my scrum-half worked at Sellafield Ltd. I asked him to pass on my CV. Luckily, the hiring manager was a friend’s uncle who liked that I had a degree and experience with numbers. I was brought in to shadow a Commercial Manager who was set to retire in two years. Six months later, he decided to stay another five years—and I decided project management was for me.

 

I took what would now be the APM Project Fundamentals Qualification and moved into a Project Engineer role. That was 15 years ago. Since then, I’ve worked in project management across the nuclear sector - and I’ve loved every day of it.

 

Why I Started Get Into Nuclear

Whenever I’d catch up with old friends or meet new people, I’d get the same questions:

“Are you still banking?”
“Still playing rugby?”
And then:
“Wait, you work in nuclear? How did you get into nuclear?”

 

Followed quickly by:

“How can I get into nuclear?”

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Six years ago, there was no clear answer. No website. No careers hub. No phone number to call. That frustrated me. So, I built one.

Get Into Nuclear started as a signposting site - a place to send people who asked the same question I once did: “How do I get into nuclear?”

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Who We Help: Job Seekers, Investors & Nuclear Training Providers

Today, the site connects Job seekers with training and live job opportunities; Recruiters with skilled, motivated talent; Suppliers and SMEs with visibility and tender opportunities and ​Investors with projects and companies shaping the future of nuclear.

 

Being a connector in this sector has been the most rewarding part of my journey. Whether I’m speaking to a classroom of Year 9's or sitting in an investment meeting, my goal is the same:

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“Is this helping someone better understand the opportunities in nuclear - or helping them get closer to joining it?”

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If someone leaves this site thinking, “Nuclear’s not for me,” that’s a win. Because now they know it’s an option—and that’s what matters.

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“The site is free for anyone looking to Get Into Nuclear.”

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Connecting You to Nuclear - Wherever You Are in Your Career

At Get Into Nuclear, we help:

• Job seekers find meaningful roles and training

• Recruiters and companies discover top talent and collaborators

• Suppliers and SMEs connect with new opportunities

• Investors explore ventures shaping the future of clean energy

• Training providers reach the audiences who need them most

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Ready to begin?

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“Nuclear Needs You - Yes, You.”

The simple chart below is from the Cogent Skill Nuclear Workforce Assessment and shows the continued growing future workforce demands for the Civil (energy and decommissioning) and Defence sectors of the industry over time.

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The increase shows an increase in demand of over 40,000, but with an aging existing workforce due to retire over the coming years, this demand is so much more. 

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“We’re not here to convince you. We’re here to show you that if you want to, you can.”

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