New to Nuclear - Transition into nuclear from other sectors
Tuesday 30 April 2024
APM North West Network Conference, Synergies Across Sectors
Presented by:
Elaine Falconer, Head of Profession for Project Management, Jacobs
and
Karen Williams, Project Manager, Jacobs
Conference overview:
https://www.apm.org.uk/community/apm-north-west-branch-conference/
Content description:
In this session, Jacobs shared insights and learning from its ‘New to Nuclear’ programme designed to support mid-career and lateral entrants whose existing skills and expertise can be utilised in the nuclear sector.
The main conference objective was to promote the Project Management profession with interaction between project practitioners, APM Corporate members, current project management students, academia and all who have an interest in projects.
Elaine & Karen to introduce themselves
Elaine will then ask the following questions to gauge who is in attendance (ask audience to raise their hands):
Who is an experience project professional working in a different sector?
Who is just starting out in project delivery and looking to build up their skills in this area?
Do we have any veterans who are considering their options following service in the armed forces?
Do we have anyone who currently works in the nuclear sector?
Who is based in the Northwest region?
Elaine will then provide a brief overview of what the session will cover:
Elaine will provide a brief overview of the current and future state of the nuclear industry
Elaine will then touch upon her journey into the sector from Steel Manufacturing and then invite Karen to share her story
Karen will explain how she moved into the nuclear sector and what it is like to manage projects in this area
Elaine will then ask Karen some questions about her experience and open up the floor to any questions from the participants.
Elaine will close the session by providing some links for those interested in finding out more about the sector.
This is what co-pilot think delivering projects in the nuclear industry looks like
Prompting it to be a little more diverse it produced this.
Highlight the use of safety glasses to use a chalk board as somewhat extreme health and safety
And this is what co-pilot thinks the future of nuclear will be – Nuclear powered cars!
In reality many cars will be nuclear powered although it is highly unlikely we will be driving around with nuclear reactors strapped to the roof of the cars.
The recently published UK Civil nuclear roadmap outlines the UK governments nuclear strategy in support of achieving Net Zero by 2050.
It emphasizes the role of nuclear power in providing reliable, resilient, and low-carbon energy.
It sets an ambition for up to 24 Gigawatts (GW) of nuclear capacity by 2050, which could cover up to a quarter of the country’s projected electricity demand.
The roadmap details regular investment decisions in new projects, production of domestic fuel, and the growth of nuclear fission.
It highlights the development of skills and supply chains required to support the rapidly growing industry.
The importance of the nuclear industry to national security is acknowledged, with a focus on aligning civil and defense nuclear sectors.
Ask the audience if anyone knows where this is (Answer: Hinkley Point C)
Contrary to what AI might spit out, the reality of delivering projects in nuclear are for more conventional. This is Hinkley Point C- The biggest construction project in Europe. There are 22,000 currently working on the project.
Sizewell C is also now gaining momentum and estimates are that it will support 70,000 jobs.
Sure there are some considerations associated with this environment, but every environment has its own specific requirements and as project management professionals our role is to be aware of them.
The civil and defence nuclear workforce is expected to double over the next 20 years, supporting around 80,000 additional skilled jobs across the UK.
An emphasis on enhancing the diversity of the UK nuclear workforce.
Project managers will likely see an increase in opportunities including siting, regulation, financing, decommissioning, and waste management.
Project managers need to align their strategies to the Governments net zero goals and energy security.
This is UK centric but there is growth internationally too so for those who many looking to work in other geographical regions then check out what the road maps are for that region.
What does this mean for the North West?
As you can see from the map above the North West is the Hub of the UKs nuclear industry.
There are nuclear based organisations throughout the region with a huge variety of activities.
Sellafield alone employ over 10,000 people across its sites in Cumbria and Warrington.
Heysham 1 & 2 based in Lancaster
And of course in Warrington, where Karen has come from today there is a nuclear cluster where many of the main organisations focused on developing nuclear projects are co-located on the same business park. This included the National Nuclear Labs and Jacobs own laboratories where we employ around 700 technical experts, scientists and project delivery professionals.
What does this mean for the North West?
As you can see from the map above the North West is the Hub of the UKs nuclear industry.
There are nuclear based organisations throughout the region with a huge variety of activities.
Sellafield alone employ over 10,000 people across its sites in Cumbria and Warrington.
Heysham 1 & 2 based in Lancaster
And of course in Warrington, where Karen has come from today there is a nuclear cluster where many of the main organisations focused on developing nuclear projects are co-located on the same business park. This included the National Nuclear Labs and Jacobs own laboratories where we employ around 700 technical experts, scientists and project delivery professionals.
Elaine to provide a little background to herself
Started in Steel Manufacturing in Llanwern Steel Work in Wales
Move to the North East of England to work in Engineering Construction Industry with a focus on petrochem and asset management as part of a graduate scheme.
Ended up in nuclear entirely by accident.
Now head of profession within Jacobs responsible for developing the capability of over 900 project management professionals from apprentices up to programme managers.
Also undertaking a PhD with Sellafield exploring project complexity.
This slide is intentionally blank so that Karen can provide a summary of her transition into the nuclear industry
Elaine will then ask Karen some questions about her career focusing on the skills and attributes required to work in the sector and advice on how to secure a job within it.
Elaine will also ask the audience if they have any questions.
The presentation will close with some suggested ways to develop knowledge and find out about transitioning into the industry.
Elaine will finish by emphasising attendees can catch us during the conference if they have any specific things they would like to find out about.