23.06.10
More graduates should be considering a career in the nuclear industry, helping to bridge a skills gap, according to the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA).
With the possibility of up to 10 new power stations in the UK, there is a need for thousands of "young people" to join the industry.
John McNamara a spokesperson for the NIA said: "We’ve lost out on a generation of students; maths students, biology students and particularly physics students, who haven’t really gravitated towards our industry because they have assumed nuclear is closing down for some reason."
Claire Brushett, 22, a physics teacher at Hayes School in Kent, and recent BSc Physics graduate from Birmingham University said she did consider studying nuclear physics.
She said: "I did think about it but not really seriously. My university offers a specialised Masters in nuclear physics, which a lot of my course friends stayed on to do, I did consider doing that but it was really technology based and I decided it's not my strength. By getting into teaching I could stay involved in physics everyday still."
The MSc Physics and Technology of Nuclear Reactors course at Birmingham University is one of 15 in the UK, which the NIA work with to promote the nuclear industry, including universities such as City University London, Manchester and Dundee Universities and the University of Cambridge.
They believe it is important to educate people and put right the '"misinformation" which surrounds nuclear power, while at the same time harness the interest some students show.
However, Miss Brushett has found that many students aren’t that interested in the subject from an early stage, saying: "At A-level we look at both the fission and fusion process and how this is used to harness energy. I have 16 students in the class and I would say three were generally interested."
The NIA believes those who are skilled in the area will find a secure future. Mr McNamara added: "We need to secure our energy production in the future so the government is obviously taking energy seriously. I think we are going to have a bright future so it will be a good career path for a young person to take."