Assystem launches massive UK nuclear recruitment drive as SME hires dive
4 Jun 2019
Nuclear engineering company Assystem is hiring as many as 400 people for jobs in the UK.
The firm said its recruitment drive reflected the growing demand for decarbonised energy and expectations of a growing role for nuclear power.
Initially, the target of the campaign is the EDF Hinckley Point C power plant, with quality assurance, quality lead, manufacturing surveillance, project administration, doc control and audit programme co-ordination staff being sought.
From autumn of this year the firm will also be recruiting commissioning engineers. The hiring round will represent a significant post in the number of the company’s personnel. It currently employs 500 people across five sites in Britiain and has a total global workforce 10 times that figure, based in 14 countries including the UK.
Vice president for international business development Tom Jones commented: “An increasing need for electricity from consumers, combined with a move further towards decarbonisation, means that nuclear power forms an integral part of the UK’s energy strategy and will be increasingly important in the coming years.
“The UK desperately needs the correct skillset to deliver these ambitious plans over the next 30 to 40 years and that’s why we’re looking for incredible engineers who can work with us, help shape the power supply and meet the needs of the country in the future.”
Elsewhere the news has been far more gloomy, with indications of plummeting recruitment in the manufacturing industry.
The quarterly national Manufacturing Barometer revealed that the number of small to medium sized enterprises planning to increase staffing has fallen to less than a third of respondents – the lowest recorded level during the last decade.
By contrast, the percentage investing in new premises and machinery has jumped since the last quarter from 37% to 44%.
Simon Howes, managing director of SWMAS, which published the findings with partner Economic Growth Solutions, said:
“We found that some businesses have slowed recruitment, and this could be in line with worries that their customers have lost confidence given the uncertainty around Brexit.
“However, we really need to unpick this. The stories we hear of manufacturers unable to find the talent they need – as revealed in findings in another recent Barometer – prevail. This struggle to recruit is moving manufacturers into a new reality: they face the prospect of managing growth and meeting increasing customer demands with fewer people.”
