We need a fully thought through and funded plan for skills across the nuclear sector

The government is to set out a plan for supporting skills in the civil and defence nuclear sectors, with funding announced to keep Barrow as the main site for submarine building.

The announcement will cover:

• Prime Minister to announce public and private investment to reinforce the nuclear workforce and support 40,000 expected new jobs
• Government will commit more than £200m over the next decade to ensure Barrow thrives as the home of UK nuclear submarine-building
• Defence Secretary will publish flagship Defence Nuclear Enterprise Command Paper later today to set out full scale of the UK’s national nuclear endeavour
• UK’s energy security and national security depend on nuclear – and the industry needs more skilled British workers

Mike Clancy, General Secretary of Prospect, said:

“If this is new funding for the defence nuclear enterprise it will be welcome, but this major endeavour won’t be successful without a fully thought through and funded plan for skills across the sector.

“In the meantime, all organisations also need the freedom on pay to compete in a sector where there are significant shortages of highly skilled workers.

“The wider funding issues facing the defence sector cannot be ignored too and must be properly addressed, with more resources and an end to the effective MoD recruitment freeze the immediate priorities.”