NEA Policy Brief
December 2022

More information at: www.oecd-nea.org/education-and-capacity-building

Advanced Technology Answers to the Climate
Challenge: The Vital Importance of Nuclear Scienceand Technology Education
 As demand for energy continues to grow at a rapid pace worldwide and the climate crisis
remains one of the main challenges today, nuclear energy plays a crucial role.
 Today’s graduates in the nuclear science and technology fields are essential in paving the way
for a reliable, affordable and clean energy future.
 The member countries of the NEA are important to ensure the talent pool necessary for theviability of the nuclear sector and to provide solutions to complex and emerging challenges.
 Governments have a decisive role in maintaining the pipeline of skilled and competentworkers.

What’s the issue?
Global demand for energy is increasing rapidly. The
United States Energy Information Administration (EIA)
in its International Energy Outlook 2021 (IEO, 2021)
projects that world energy consumption will grownearly 50% by 2050.
Primary energy consumption by energy source, world
Quadrillion British thermal units
300History
projections

250

petroleum andother liquids1renewables2200

natural gas
coal

150
10050

nuclear

0emitting electricity in OECD countries, nuclear energy willplay a very important role in climate change mitigation.
Despite the considerable nuclear energy investments
and expansion to meet increasing energy needs that
may be seen in the next decades, there has not been a
concurrent growth in the workforce needed to staff
these new plants due to the declining number of recent
nuclear graduates in many countries.
Building and operating nuclear facilities, theirdecommissioning
andnuclearresearch
anddevelopment, all require a skilled and knowledgeable
workforce. Regardless of each country’s national
policies and nuclear development status, the distinctive
characteristics of nuclear energy give rise to special
requirements for education and training. Therefore,training graduates in this field takes substantially longer
than other disciplines.

Why is this important?

Source: US Energy Information Administration (2021).

Today’s graduates in the nuclear science andtechnology fields will play a large role in decarbonising
the electricity sector and paving the way for a clean
energy future, thus contributing significantly to the fightagainst climate change.

Rising global energy demand and the need to drastically
cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions require atransformation in the way we produce, deliver andconsume energy. Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions
through low-carbon electricity sources could be one
answer to the issue. As the single largest source of non-Ensuring a continuous supply of qualified and competentpersonnel for the safe, responsible and sustainable use of
nuclear technologies is a vital first step. Yet, many NEA
member countries are reporting with concern that agrowing proportion of high-level nuclear experts areretiring, while the number of recent graduates in the field
capable of replacing them is decreasing.

2010

2020

2030

2040

2050

1. Includes biofuels; 2. Electricity generation from renewable sources is converted toBtu at a rate of 8 124 Btu/kWh

NEA Policy Brief
How can the NEA help?
The NEA has been working with its member countries
to address these challenges by fostering initiatives toinvest in the education and capacity of future experts,
and to retain knowledge while also stimulating
technological innovation through knowledge transfer.
Activities in these areas have thrived in recent years
since the NEA launched two main initiatives.
The first, the Nuclear Education, Skills and Technology(NEST) Framework, was launched in February 2019 tohelp address important gaps in nuclear skills capacity
building, knowledge transfer and technical innovationin an international context. Implemented throughprojects in specific topics relevant to the nuclear sector,
it offers young nuclear professionals, NEST Fellows, achance to develop skills and acquire practicalexperience under the supervision of mentors at leadingorganisations. It benefits NEA member countries byestablishing links and networks between universities
and industries, research organisations and regulators.
These interrelationships, in turn, strengthen university
education programmes. Academic institutions play animportant role by nurturing the next generation ofnuclear leaders and professionals, thus developing thetalent pipeline necessary for the sustainability of thenuclear sector.
Nevertheless, the NEA has had little direct engagementwith academic institutions that are responsible fordeveloping the next generation of nuclear science andtechnology experts.
To address these gaps, the NEA established, in January
2021, the Global Forum on Nuclear Education, Science,
Technology and Policy, an inclusive network of experts
from academia who are well-suited through theirexpertise and knowledge to provide solutions to thecomplex and emerging issues and challenges that affectthe nuclear energy sector – particularly with regard tohuman resources development.

Further reading
IAEA (2020), Climate change and nuclear power 2020,
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna.
IAEA (2018), IAEA Scientific Forum, www.iaea.org/about/policy/gc/gc62/events/scientific-forum/programme.
NEA (2012), Nuclear Education and Training: From Concern
to Capability, OECD Publishing, Paris, www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_14668.
NEA (2004), Nuclear Competence Building, OECD Publishing,Paris, www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_13864.
NEA (2000), Nuclear Education and Training: Cause forConcern?, OECD Publishing, Paris, www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_13390.
OECD (2012), Energy, OECD Green Growth Studies, OECD
Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264115118-en.
US Energy Information Administration (2021), International
Energy Outlook 2021.

What should policy makers do?
The policy actions to be undertaken at the national level
depend on the needs and requirements of different
countries and stakeholders, based on the local context
and national policies.
Factors to be considered at the national level include thelevel of development of the nuclear sector in the country(embarking, advanced or phasing out); the country’sincreasing or decreasing nuclear use; and the size of thecountry’s nuclear energy capacity.
Bearing in mind the long lead times often required fornuclear education and training, the establishment andpreservation of an adequate nuclear workforce supply
calls for systematic planning decades in advance. Delays
and changes in policies will have detrimental effects onsustaining an effective workforce in the sector.
Timelyinterventions
bygovernments,industry,universities, and research and development organisations,remain vital for averting the risk of human resource
shortages and by maintaining the stock of skilled andcompetent workers. They are also necessary to ensure aflow of new recruits sustainable over the longer term andcapable, in particular, of offsetting impending retirements.
Governments have an important multifaceted role in thenuclear energy field, that of managing the existing nuclear
enterprise, preserving nuclear power as a long-term option,
sustaining international influence of nuclear safety andsecurity, and enhancing technological competitiveness.
Governments should show a continuous and stableengagement in human resource development planning forthe long-term timescales that transcend fluctuations ineconomic cycles. Government involvement should include
regular, active monitoring of demand and supply capacity,
as well as allocating the necessary funds to support
education programmes that provide a means ofdeveloping and maintaining specialist expertise.
Moreover, efforts should be made towards outreachactivities starting with secondary school students to ensure
a diverse and inclusive intake of STEM and nuclear
students at colleges and universities that in turn will
provide the required workforce for all the nuclear fields.
Special attention should be directed to the needs ofuniversities for access to relevant nuclear instrumentationand critical facilities – including research reactors – toperform research and enhance education programmes.
Infrastructure support should be provided to maintainexisting nuclear facilities, if these can be refurbished, or toreplace them when they are obsolete.
A general tendency characterising the sector has been asignificant and increasing internationalisation. Therefore,
governments should strongly encourage and support
international initiatives and programmes that foster aconsistent quality of education and training being
delivered across different countries to enhance humanresource development capacities.
One of the biggest remaining challenges for the nuclear
industry is the poor public perception of the sector.
Governments should therefore ensure that a minimum
general knowledge of nuclear energy is taught in schools
in order to address common myths and concerns andthereby increase potential student interest.