Across Europe, the energy sector is changing fast. From renewables and hydrogen to smarter power grids, every part of the industry is working to deliver cleaner and more reliable energy. One challenge affects all of these areas: the growing demand for skilled workers to drive Europe’s energy transition.
For nuclear energy, the challenge is particularly urgent. The industry must maintain the expertise that keeps existing plants safe and efficient while also attracting a new generation of professionals who can operate, regulate, and innovate in nuclear technology. Building this workforce is not just about hiring more people. It requires a long-term strategy to develop the skills Europe needs to reach its energy goals.
This is where SNETP plays a key role. As Europe’s technology platform for nuclear fission, SNETP unites industry, research, academia and policymakers to advance safe and sustainable nuclear energy. Among its priorities is ensuring that Europe has the human capital to match its technological ambition.
Europe’s Nuclear Skills Gap
The skills gap is not unique to nuclear, it’s a systemic European issue. According to the European Commission, the energy and industrial transitions could create millions of new jobs by 2030, but many of these positions risk remaining unfilled without targeted training and re-skilling.
In the nuclear sector, the challenge is particularly acute. Much of the current workforce joined during earlier waves of nuclear deployment in the 1970s and 1980s. As experienced professionals approach retirement, Europe risks losing vital institutional knowledge.
At the same time, new technologies, such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), advanced fuels, fusion systems, and AI-driven monitoring tools, require fresh expertise that traditional nuclear education programmes were never designed to provide. The result is a widening gap between what the industry needs and what the training ecosystem delivers. Without strategic action, this could slow innovation, limit deployment, and reduce Europe’s ability to meet its climate and security goals.
SNETP: Linking Research, Innovation, and Skills
As a European Technology Platform, SNETP does not provide training directly, but it plays a crucial role in connecting research, innovation, academia and human capital, which are the pillars of a successful nuclear transition. By bringing together stakeholders at all levels, from universities and research centres to industry, policymakers, the wider community, and innovative startups such as Newcleo, Hexana, Thorizon, and others, SNETP fosters the networks and ecosystems that enable skills development to advance alongside technological progress.
Engaged in the SET-Plan’s (Strategic Energy Technology Plan) Skills task forces, SNETP contributed to shaping strategic directives that align with the evolving skill requirements of the industry in its journey towards decarbonization and competitiveness . Furthermore, its involvement in the advisory board of EHRO-N (European Human Resources Observatory for the Nuclear Sector), led by the JRC (Joint Research Centre), enhances coordination and foresight in addressing skilled workforce issues. These commitments are also reflected in SNETP’s flagship events: the 2024 Forum in Rome highlighted young talent with a dedicated session and the presentation of an innovation award for young people; and the FISA-EURADWASTE-Forum SNETP 2025, which emphasized the importance of the next generation and innovation in the sector.
Partnerships for Skills and Innovation in Nuclear
Recognising the urgency of the issue, the European Union has launched several initiatives to strengthen the energy workforce such as ENEN+ project and others. One of the recent initiatives for nuclear is Skills4Nuclear (S4N), a project funded by the Euratom programme (Grant Agreement ID: 101213280).
Skills4Nuclear brings together partners from industry, research, and education to create a European Forum for Nuclear Workforce and Skills. This forum will monitor workforce needs, identify emerging skill gaps, and coordinate actions across borders. It represents the first attempt to build a unified European framework for nuclear workforce development.
The project’s ambition goes beyond data collection. Its core outcome will be a European Nuclear Skills Strategy, a roadmap to attract, retain, reskill, and upskill professionals across the full nuclear lifecycle. S4N will also implement pilot programmes, such as one in Poland, to test innovative reskilling models. These will help workers from other sectors, including fossil fuels and conventional power, transition into nuclear roles, ensuring that the clean-energy shift is both fair and inclusive. In parallel, the project will develop tools and communication campaigns to make nuclear careers more visible and appealing, particularly to young people and women. By promoting diversity and expanding opportunities within the sector, S4N aims to secure the next generation of nuclear talent.
Besides being partner of S4N, SNETP supports training and innovative research of the young generation through its broad project portfolio, including Euratom-funded initiatives such as EASI-SMR, METIS, El-Peacetolero, and LLMS4EU, which will also be represented at ENLIT 2025. These projects help develop advanced nuclear technologies, including Small Modular Reactors, new system designs resilient to climate change, and AI-based monitoring technologies, while also creating tools, knowhow and methods that are beneficial to increase the competences and agility of future workforce within the energy and many other industrial sectors. By connecting research with real-world applications, SNETP strengthens Europe’s nuclear capabilities and provides opportunities to train and inspire the next generation of professionals, keeping the sector at the forefront of innovation with impact beyond nuclear energy.
Attracting and Preparing the Next Generation of Professionals
Through initiatives like Skills4Nuclear, SNETP is supporting efforts to tackle skill shortages across Europe’s nuclear sector, strengthening the ability of the workforce to maintain high safety and performance standards, support industrial competitiveness, and enable knowledge sharing across borders. As part of these efforts to attract and inspire new talent, SNETP has launched a new campaign on its communication channels titled “Why Nuclear? Careers That Inspire.” The campaign consists of a video series featuring experienced professionals from the SNETP community, including Erika Holt, nuclear back-end lead at VTT, who emphasizes the sector’s multidisciplinary nature, Iain Darby, Head of Strategic Research at the UK National Nuclear Laboratory, reflecting on the impact of their work, and Marjorie Bertolus, Research Director at CEA, highlighting the momentum and opportunities making this the ideal moment to enter the nuclear sector. Each video explores why these leaders chose the sector, what motivates them, and how they see the future of nuclear energy.
The campaign focuses on showcasing nuclear careers and inspiring the next generation of professionals. Alongside this, SNETP collaborates with a range of partner organisations, including the European Nuclear Education Network, European Nuclear Society, ENS Young Generation Network, Women in Nuclear Global, Nucleareurope as well as NESTet Programme of the OECD/NEA among others. These partners support the sector through education, outreach, community-building, policy work, research collaboration, advocacy, workforce development, and key events for networking. Together, these efforts highlight both the human and technological aspects of nuclear and help ensure that Europe’s nuclear sector remains a hub of excellence, opportunity, attracting and preparing professionals to support a clean, secure, affordable and sustainable energy future for European citizens.
