Engineering in the UK Nuclear Sector
- get into nuclear
- Apr 4, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 2, 2022
Engineering is a very broad term; a quick google search of "become an engineering in the nuclear industry" brings up a very wide range of varying results so it is a good idea to be clear about what is meant by engineering in the intent of this section.
For our purpose Engineering encompasses the disciplines associated with the design elements of work including Mechanical design, Electrical, Control and Instrumentation (EC&I) design, Process design, Civil, Structural and Architectural (CS&A) design and Analysis. All elements associated with Project Management, Quality, Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE), Manufacture and Site Works are covered elsewhere.
Design Engineering
The Role
There are various roles available from Principal to Design Engineer. in all of the Mechanical, EC&I, Analysis, Process and CS&A functions. All roles revolve around the production of designs that satisfy a technical specification. They need to be supported by providing verification and validation of these designs, participating in any radiological and conventional safety reviews and providing relevant required documentation which will be used to take the design from paper to realisation and completion.
The Profile
The profile of an engineer in the UK Nuclear Industry is very much job specific regarding qualifications and experience. The aim of the site is not to go into the details of each specific job role. The best place to look for job descriptions is on the job advertisements themselves. We've pre-searched a couple of them below for you to find out further information.
It is however worth considering that as a minimum the below will be included within the criteria:
Hold an Engineering qualification such as NHC/HND
Are or on the way to becoming a chartered engineer
Worked previously in a design project environment - ideally in the nuclear industry
Proficient in the use of the required software (AutoCad, ProE, Inventor)
Being able to meet the vetting requirements.
Get Into Nuclear
These roles have historically been a closed shop for workers outside of the nuclear industry. However, the increase in demand for such roles within the Nuclear New Build (NNB) projects means that the industry will need to broaden the opportunities for 'new-nuclear-nuclear' engineers. If you believe that you have the skills and experience to bag yourself a role it is worth checking out the Nuclear Skills Academy for Nuclear's (NSAN) Nuclear Skills Passport (NS4P) which is a competency framework which is a way for you to demonstrate that you are SQEP to work in the nuclear industry without having actually worked in the industry.
Credit: NSAN
Additionally, check out our page on all of the training available to you to help you up-skill wherever you feel that you need to do. There are many opportunities out there in the UK Nuclear Industry, particularly in the Engineering Function and now is a great time to start to assess and understand where you fit into the picture.
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