Although there is a shortage of engineers and other skilled staff throughout the energy industry, nowhere is it more acute than in nuclear power. Especially in countries such as the US and the UK, where no reactors have been built for several decades, much of the nuclear workforce has retired or moved into other industries and there has not been enough activity to attract new talent.

As the US embarks on an ambitious programme of reactor building and the UK government weighs up whether to revive the country’s nuclear sector, there is a growing recognition that the lack of skills is a serious problem.