Technical and management consultancy Babtie Group is aiming to tackle the skills shortage in the nuclear industry by running ‘Nuclear Acquaint’ courses for graduates interested in the industry.

Major efforts need to be made to make up for the shortfall in the UK nuclear industry, which needs 50,000 recruits over the next 15 years, according to the Department of Trade and Industry’s Report of the Nuclear Skills Group.

The three-day residential course, aimed at giving an introduction to the nuclear industry, covers regulation, current technology, a nuclear science overview and risk and hazard assessment techniques.

David Baird, head of Babtie’s facilities business centre, said that the nuclear industry was “crying out” for qualified staff as it moved from “the construction of manufacturing plant and power stations to site restoration and nuclear clean-up