Six companies have been selected to provide expert secondees to the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) over the next four years to support diversity and inclusion in recruitment. UKAEA will fill over 100 roles worth £9.5m to the economy in support of its major fusion energy programmes.

Its Project Delivery Services Framework is aimed at improving social and economic inequality in addition to providing a fast and flexible approach to recruitment. This will help UKAEA in its mission to make fusion energy a safe, sustainable, low carbon energy supply of the future.

Engineers, project managers and apprentices from across the UK will be seconded from the six companies, chosen via a competitive tender process, for demonstrating a clear commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). This includes:

• Established partnerships with organisations such as BAME Apprenticeship Alliance, STEM Network, and Stonewall (inclusivity for LGBTQ+ in the workplace);
• Adding social value to communities as they rebuild post COVID-19 in addition to working with social mobility charity, Career Ready;
• Employing apprentices that will work at UKAEA’s Oxfordshire and Yorkshire sites in addition to delivering outreach events to encourage careers in STEM.

The six successful suppliers selected for UKAEA’s Project Delivery Services Framework, are: Atkins (with Faithful+Gould), Arcadis (with DBD and Enkom), Gleeds, Mace, Prima Uno and Turner & Townsend.

Ian Chapman, CEO, UKAEA, said: “We are delighted to launch UKAEA’s Project Delivery Services Framework to bolster the range of expertise across the UK’s world-leading fusion energy programmes. It will provide increased flexibility to our project teams as we work together with industrial partners to deliver fusion as an important part of addressing climate change and providing energy security.”

Dev Reedha, Arcadis framework director, said: “Improving quality of life and being able to make a difference is exactly why our people work with us. It is more than just a job. As an organisation, we are extremely excited to be part of the UKAEA framework and are looking forward to supporting a wider mission of taking fusion to the world as a safe and sustainable low-carbon source of energy.”

Lee Patrick, Atkins UKAEA key account manager, added: “The appointment of Atkins and Faithful+Gould to the Project Delivery Services Framework reinforces our commitment to supporting UKAEA as it takes a lead on the delivery of sustainable fusion energy. We look forward to bringing the programme management expertise of Faithful+Gould to strengthen the planning and delivery of UKAEA’s portfolio of ambitious projects, and combining this with Atkins’ in-depth knowledge of fusion energy and longstanding relationship with UKAEA.”

UKAEA has already created approximately 36,900 direct and indirect jobs over the past decade with R&D in fusion leading to the upskilling of the UK workforce. This includes improved knowledge transfer between academia and industries, refined and upgraded fusion machine designs, and the creation of new policy and standards.

Secondees from the Project Delivery Services Framework will be contributing to several UKAEA programmes including STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) which aims to deliver a prototype fusion energy plant and a path to the commercial viability of fusion.