Fusion Skills Training Collaboration

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is the national research organisation responsible for the development of fusion energy.

The Fusion Skills project seeks to expand the footprint of UKAEA’s award-winning apprenticeship training programme, which provides real-world training in a workplace setting. The project aims to deliver a fully equipped skills academy at the West Burton STEP site to support STEP, local employers, and the supply chain with the skills required to build and operate a prototype fusion powerplant. This will expand on the work already underway at UKAEA’s Culham site.

Four key training sectors are Power Engineering, Nuclear Design, Energy Storage, and Robotics.

UKAEA is looking for a body of training providers (consisting of lead partner and supporting partners as required to deliver the full technical training programme in the areas identified) to form a collaboration that will deliver the broad training needs for fusion research and the supply chain at the STEP site. The majority of this training would be delivered at the new bespoke built training facility at West Burton. However, we are also open to exploring possibilities for training topics and volume that could be delivered at the facilities of our collaborators.

The ideal lead training partner will already have the capacity and capability to deliver level 3-7 apprenticeships (we are interested in partners who can provide any of the individual levels or the full range required) in all or some of the subjects required with the proven ability to partner with other providers to deliver the full suite of requirements. They must also be within a reasonable travel distance to the West Burton site.

UKAEA anticipates that training will be able to commence from September 2026.

Full information, including a breakdown of training areas, a proposed site map and a survey is included in the Supporting Information document available for download in this PIN. Additional information: This procurement will be conducted via a collaboration process.