NDA Launches Leadership Partnership To Inspire Young Nuclear Professionals

8th September 2020

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has today launched a year-long partnership aimed at inspiring and supporting young people in the nuclear industry.

Chief Executive David Peattie announced the NDA's partnership with the Nuclear Institute's Young Generation Network (YGN) today at a special webinar for young professionals.

It marks the first-ever YGN Industrial Partnership - meaning the NDA and its group of companies will actively work with the YGN to support young professionals through a series of events and in supporting personal and professional development.

The NDA will work closely with YGN with the aim of underpinning workforce pipeline development, and overall nuclear professionalism and sector marketing, all aimed at encouraging young people into a career in the nuclear industry.

The Industrial Partnership aligns behind the YGN's mission "to encourage, develop and inspire young nuclear professionals and ensure that their voice is heard in shaping the future of the nuclear sector - and motivate young people to join and remain in the UK nuclear industry, helping develop them to be the best that they can be".

It also links directly in to the NDA's mission to be a great place to work - and its work in promoting a leadership academy for its ‘One NDA' philosophy, which is about NDA group collaboration, "being greater than the sum of our parts."

The NDA group of companies will be at the heart of the partnership, with young professionals from all of the NDA’s site licence companies playing a part to drive the relationship forwards, while forging closer links across the group.

Chief Executive, David Peattie, said he was honoured to launch the unique partnership.

I am really pleased we have developed this important partnership. Our leaders across the NDA group are committed to supporting early career colleagues and in effectively attracting young people to work in the decommissioning sector.

This exciting agreement cements an already close relationship, and will allow our young people across the group, with the support from senior figures, to further inspire our young professionals in to becoming the next generation of leaders.

Young nuclear professionals from Sellafield Ltd, RWM Ltd, Low Level Waste Repository, Magnox Ltd, INS ltd, Dounreay and Energus in West Cumbria will join NDA staff in organising a series of events including an Annual YGN Festival, seminars and interviews with senior nuclear leaders, and special one-off events including a focus on digitalisation.

The partnership will also encourage educational attainment and professional qualification with the nuclear institute.

Rob Ward, this year’s YGN chair, said:This Partnership is an opportunity for the YGN to develop a deeper understanding of the needs of our industry, so that we can more effectively support the attraction, development and retention of the workforce of the future.

The YGN members entering the workplace now will deliver the UK’s most challenging missions, bringing the passion, diversity of thought and innovation that will make this an attractive industry to work in for the future.

The YGN is part of the Nuclear Institute - the nuclear industry’s professional body and learned society. All young Nuclear Institute members automatically become members of the YGN when they join the Institute.

The NI runs a number of regional branches around the Country, in Scotland, Cumbria, the North West, North East, Midlands, Central England, South West and London/SE. The YGN is a national branch with around 1500 young members.

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Chief Executive of the NDA David Peattie