The Government have assisted in the establishment of a sector skills council to represent the needs of the nuclear industry. Cogent Sector Skills Council, working with employers, is taking a strategic view of the nuclear sector to ensure that the education and training base can meet the nuclear employers' current and future needs. The nuclear industry, working with Cogent, has successfully competed for a national skills academy through the Department for Education and Skills academy programme. The Nuclear National Skills Academy is at the business planning stage which is expected to be finalised shortly. The academy, which is employer-led, is designed to deliver high-quality training provision and drive up standards in the nuclear industry.
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has a portfolio of new activities in support of nuclear skills and research which include £6.1 million for a research consortium to address the challenge of “keeping open the nuclear option” and £1 million for a “Nuclear Technology Education Consortium” to provide masters-level and continuing professional development training for the nuclear industries. Both lever additional funding from industry.