Nuclear Decommissioning

This Advanced Apprenticeship covers a range of roles involved with the decommissioning – or safe shut down – of nuclear facilities. Nuclear power stations have limited operating lives, ranging from 30 to 60 years. When their time is up, the plants must be decommissioned. In the UK, there are around 22 ageing nuclear sites that need to be dealt with by 2050 – which means an industry with growing prospects.

The safe and cost-effective decommissioning and clean-up of the industry’s power stations and fuel processing facilities are providing future technical and engineering challenges for the industry. Apprenticeships are playing an important role in maintaining a skilled workforce.

The nature of the decommissioning process means these facilities can’t simply be switched off and knocked down. There are many technical, environmental and managerial challenges involved.

As an apprentice, you’ll gain a Level 3 decommissioning qualification and complete a supporting Technical Certificate. You’ll learn many aspects of Decommissioning and the structure of the nuclear industry.

There are a range of job roles involved within decommissioning operations. You could be a process operator or technician, working on the equipment, a laboratory assistant, or a decommissioning operator.