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Growing Skills for Nuclear with NSAN
About the company
Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) is the NDA group company leading safe, secure decommissioning across multiple UK sites. The business has shifted decisively from contraction to growth:
Jo Skillen, Head of People (Sites & Corporate Centre) says:
“The direction of what was Magnox has significantly changed in the last three years, now I’m hiring people. And we’re growing. We will double in size as an organisation as we bring the AGRs [advanced gas reactors] on.”
Skills development helps not only with recruitment but also with retention.
“We’re doing a lot with our supervisors. We want to try and keep and retain employees, to be the employer of choice. What we can do is give people a really strong career for life.”
As an NSAN Board member, Jo describes how NSAN’s culture actively encourages employer contributions:
“From day one, I felt psychologically safe to just ask the daft question and be the new girl on the block. NSAN were very warm and welcoming, saying ‘Let’s get to know you… personally, not just professionally.’”
“I think it’s a great board. The makeup of the different backgrounds is really helpful and insightful. It just opens up the avenues of really trying to get skills and resources to the top of the agenda with my board since without those we can’t deliver anything.”
What NSAN products / services have you used?
NRS wants to make greater use of their membership, with a plan being formulated for NSAN to support their workforce skills and early careers work, including apprenticeships.
“I’ve got an L&D team that drives it forward and we’ve now started to connect all the membership dots by bringing in the wider workforce, the line managers. The other thing we’re trying to link in with is early careers. A planning workshop is in the diary to really see what we can use the membership for and really try and get NSAN more on the agenda with NRS.”
Key achievements
Jo is driving the reinvigoration of NSAN membership, looking ahead to consider how membership value can be maximised.
A special moment in their membership happened in March 2025, when one of NRS’s intermediate level apprentices, Keely Salter, won not only intermediate apprentice of the year, but also the prestigious UK Nuclear Apprentice of the Year (overall) at the UK Nuclear Skills Awards, organised by NSAN & Cogent Skills.
“It was absolutely phenomenal. Keely’s worked so hard and she is so humble about it all. We’d got her line manager to the awards in secret. It was really good how we’d got all the right people around to celebrate.”
In what ways does NSAN add value to your business?
Jo would recommend NSAN to other companies, big and small.
“Absolutely. Why wouldn’t you? Especially in this industry, even for smaller employers to get into the network. My hat goes off to them. NSAN has a real passion for growing skills in the nuclear sector.”
Jo describes NSAN using a sandwich analogy:
“NSAN is the nice ham in the sandwich, the flavoursome piece in the middle to help us go forward. They know the industry, they know academia. We won’t need to bring in a supplier with a hard sell. NSAN gets us.”
NSAN supports sector professionals to make valuable connections.
“If you are in this industry then it’s about peer-to-peer networks, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. NSAN’s network is getting broader and stronger. If I am after a new L&D manager, through them I can circulate it to the right people.”
Next steps
NRS is taking a long term, sector wide view. Jo’s ambition is clear:
“There’s a lot that I’m trying to do in the local area on collaboration and working with Sizewell C and Sizewell B to connect things. Because an apprentice today could have a career in the whole life cycle from construction into operations to decommissioning. We should join our workforce plans and not compete against each other all the time.”
As part of these efforts, NRS sees value in NSAN taking a wide role, across sectors, for the benefit of nuclear.
“A lot of the skills we need aren’t nuclear-unique. Could NSAN help us to connect a few more dots? When they’ve had events with expert speakers from outside of nuclear, they’ve been warmly received. We could all learn so much from each other.”
NRS value NSAN as a key collaborator.
“The key is to be NSAN’s partner on the journey to make nuclear skills a brighter future. It’s a partnership. Let’s do this together with an open, collaborative mindset by listening to the right specialists in the right areas.”
Tools available to members
Capability Model for the UK Nuclear Industry
This document has been developed to clearly articulate to Senior Representatives within the nuclear sector (Operators and Supply Chain) the various skills development tools and techniques (Capability Model) available for implementation by member organisations of NSAN and Cogent Skills.
Maturity Assessment Guide
To assist NSAN members with the implementation of the products within the Capability Model, a self –assessment ‘Maturity Assessment Tool’ has been developed for members to use to assess their progress against the Capability Model.
Systematic Approach to Training (SAT) Guide
To help organisations and individuals identify the appropriate products and services that meet their business needs, NSAN developed the ‘Capability Model for the UK Nuclear Industry – Good practice approach to training, accreditation and nuclear professionalism’.
Our members
Benefits of Membership
Relationship
Dedicated support from a Relationship Manager – you will benefit from face-to-face meetings and have a direct contact for any queries in between meetings. If you need support on anything skills-related, your Relationship Manager will be ready to help.
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Join leading industry groups and attend our events for opportunities to network with other key figures in the industry.
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Get involved in developing solutions to specific skills issues. NSAN also provides an operational voice into government on how the changes to the skills landscape are affecting companies.
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