The workforce development strategic element addresses the development of a new advanced nuclear workforce for design, construction, and operation and the needed skill sets and training. The overall goal of this element is to ensure an adequate level of skilled labor exists to support all phases of new advanced reactor deployment. A secondary goal is to accomplish this without adversely impacting existing plants. It is desired that lessons learned from this effort would benefit workforce development and training needs at existing plants.
Key Issue: Build and Expand Pathways for the Skilled Technical Workforce
The reduction of the skilled technical workforce (skilled trade labor) in North America has been well documented in the national press and trade journals for years. It is a well-known problem facing the expansion of power plant construction in the 2030s. Given demographic trends and the preference for four-year degrees by high school seniors, the shortage is not likely to correct itself without meaningful work prospects and benefits for those seeking to enter the workforce.
Many of the skills necessary for building, operating, supporting, and maintaining advanced nuclear technology are known and have been well integrated by the construction industry. The most in-demand skills in the construction phase are specialized trades, such as pipe fitters, welders, boilermakers, concrete and rebar workers, electrical installers, and wiring technicians. However, there are others that will be required based on the new plant designs. A greater emphasis on digital and software will demand new skills that might not be present in the current power plant or general construction workforce. These skills and qualifications must be well understood and addressed to build a workforce to meet the demand for new advanced reactors. Additionally, these skills will need to be incorporated into professional degree programs to enable career progression for the skilled technical workforce while also ensuring sufficient skills are being taught at the engineering and professional levels.
ACTION:
Priority
Status
Develop specific programs to create a skilled labor workforce: Ensure workers possess appropriate knowledge, skills, and behaviors for work supporting advanced nuclear projects.
- Continue to iterate on the workforce demand and supply for advanced reactors (that is, manufacturing, construction, and supply chain)
- Use local/regional state consortia to promote workforce while considering collaboration across all of
- Ensure traditional and non-traditional workforce pipelines are equipped to handle the supply-demand needs for the industry (including coordination with local/regional trade and vocational schools to create greater supply of needed skilled and craft workers)
- Implement new revision and expand usage of the U.S. Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program or similar programs in local or regional community colleges and trade schools
- Coordinate with educational institutions and veterans’ organizations to ensure clear career pathways exist for transitioning military and veterans
- Identify skills, competencies, and aptitudes of specific job functions and inform the workforce pipelines to develop individuals for these jobs
Action Owner: NEI, CNA, EPRI, and INPO with support from others identified by the Advanced Reactor Roadmap Implementation Board
Need Date:
- Implement/Establish: 2026
- Build/Expand: 2028
- Sustain/Improve: 2030
Progress to Date on Addressing Key Issue: The Industry Workforce Strategic Plan has launched several teams to tackle long-term workforce challenges in the nuclear sector. The Pipelines Team is developing toolkits and coordinating with educational institutions to align training programs with industry needs, while also working to expand pipelines through initiatives like the new Energy and Natural Resources career cluster. The Policy/Legislation Team is assessing funding and apprenticeship opportunities, collaborating with the Department of Labor and exploring cross- border partnerships. Meanwhile, the Training and Qualifications Team is identifying future skill requirements for new reactors, and the Career Awareness Team is enhancing recruitment strategies, particularly for veterans, to ensure a robust and inclusive workforce pipeline.
In Canada, the CNA is currently finalizing a workforce projection data report and strategy that quantifies the need and then targets key gaps with attainable, realistic actions. Several key pillars of the strategy propose program recommendations for how to grow the skilled labor workforce, spanning from collaboration with utilities to cultural shifts in trade and labor internal processes.
Key Issue: Attracting and Retaining an Advanced Nuclear Workforce
To build a workforce, it is necessary first to attract people to the industry. In light of strong competition for comparable workers in other sectors, advanced nuclear must make an appealing case. Work in construction in general and advanced nuclear in particular will need to be presented in an efficient way with aspects of long-term stability built into the message. Creating a retention and career map for incoming and interested workers will show the longevity and value of an education tailored to building, operating, and maintaining advanced nuclear technology.
To recruit and retain workers, the industry must become more flexible. More than communicating the idea, the work environment must adapt to the workers of the future. Some aspects of the traditional nuclear work environment would impede the prospect of attracting workers.
ACTION:
Priority
Status
Develop and execute a program for attracting and retaining workers: Meet the demands of the future advanced reactor and existing reactors workforce.
- Develop messages that resonate and ensure consistent and effective on-going messaging campaigns
- Create targeted advertising and messaging schemes that can attract workers into nuclear jobs and roles
- Work with K-12 education to make nuclear jobs more attractive through expanding the use of K-12 competencies and career clusters to help connect an individual’s interests to career paths in nuclear
Action Owner: NEI, CNA, and EPRI, with support from others identified by the Advanced Reactor Roadmap Implementation Board
Need Date:
- Implement/Establish: 2026
- Build/Expand: 2028
- Sustain/Improve: 2030
Progress to Date on Addressing Key Issue: NuclearWorks was launched in 2025 to help students and job seekers find careers and education opportunities in the nuclear energy industry based on their interests, skills, and background. The website provides a tool for the prospective workforce to learn more about the nuclear industry and to find academic programs and jobs in their area.
Key Issue: Maintaining Adequate Workforce for Existing Nuclear Fleet
Maintaining the operational performance of the existing fleet is important to ensuring confidence in the growth of the advanced reactor fleet. It is very likely that an expansion of the advanced nuclear fleet will draw resources from the existing fleet. For current skilled workers, the advanced reactor fleet could be the more attractive opportunity, and it will be impossible to prevent an outflow of talent from the existing fleet. However, it is possible to minimize the impact by focusing on retention and efficiency to ensure safe operation at lower staffing levels.
ACTION:
Priority
Status
Develop an adequate workforce to meet the future nuclear industry demands for existing and new reactors:
Minimize drawing resources from the existing fleet to advanced reactor projects without proper mitigations in place:
- Ensure that sufficient numbers of skilled employees are in the pipelines to meet the needs of both the operating fleet and advanced reactors
- Encourage the modernization of facilities and workplace best practices for existing nuclear reactors
- Define similarities between tasks for operating fleet, advanced reactors, and other parallel industries
- Create targeted advertising and messaging schemes that can attract workers into nuclear jobs and roles
Action Owner: NEI, CNI, and EPRI with support from others identified by the Advanced Reactor Roadmap Implementation Board
Need Date:
- Implement/Establish: 2026
- Build/Expand: 2028
- Sustain/Improve: 2030
Progress to Date on Addressing Key Issue: The Industry Strategic Workforce Plan includes biennial surveys to track turnover trends, with updated data available in October. Insights from INL highlight immediate pipeline work needs, particularly due to shortages in radiation protection professionals and engineering personnel. NEI has modeled workforce needs for O&M through 2050, shared with CNA for similar analysis, and will continue updating this model. Forecasts for construction and manufacturing workforce needs are also being developed. NEI’s working groups are addressing challenges related to Digital I&C positions, with findings communicated to the industry. Collaboration with the Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program at INL explores the application of their approach to both current and advanced reactors.
In Canada, CNA’s strategy coordination spans a broad array of pillars and mechanisms for achieving the workforce of the future for existing and future technologies. While specific actions and programs vary across a national scope, it contains unique strategies for provinces that are new to nuclear versus well established nuclear provinces. Developed in partnership with stakeholders that will be responsible for contributing to workforce development in Canada, including government, education, unions, utilities, and regulators, it principally relies on coordinated effort toward a common goal.
Key Issue: Training Model
Several training models can conceivably add value for construction and O&M workers. Because training in construction skills is mostly covered by trade schools, attention should be directed to teaching the specialized skills needed by the advanced nuclear workforce.
In the current nuclear model, this nuclear-specific training is covered by accredited training programs maintained by the licensee for each reactor. With differing owner/operator models, and potentially more standard designs with less safety-related plant equipment, the old model should be reconsidered.
ACTION:
Priority
Status
Develop the training model that suits advanced reactor workforce: Modernize training and workforce development methods while working within nuclear regulations.
- Define training program requirements for advanced reactors
- Implement and demonstrate compliance with the training regulatory model for advanced reactors l
- Clarify ownership of training delivery and accreditation
- Implement modernized training programs to meet the nuclear workforce needs
Action Owner: NEI, CNA, EPRI, and INPO with support from others identified by the Advanced Reactor Roadmap Implementation Board
Need Date:
- Implement/Establish: 2026
- Build/Expand: 2028
- Sustain/Improve: 2030
Progress to Date on Addressing Key Issue: The Training and Qualifications Team has partnered with two universities to explore a national funding opportunity from the DOE for new curricula development. The team will also explore centralized versus stand-alone training delivery approaches within regulatory oversight. To support this, they developed a white paper on modern training infrastructure needs and benefits, complemented by an EPRI paper on scientific engagement with modern training approaches. These papers will be discussed at the 2025 Conference on Nuclear Training and Education.