Towards strategic agenda for European nuclear education, training, and knowledge management

The key elements of the EU-wide strategic agenda for nuclear education, training, and knowledge management are proposed in this paper. They were developed partly within the ENEN+ and ENEN# projects, to support and consolidate the efforts of the nuclear stakeholders to attract, develop, and retain new talents. The paper considers the projections of needs developed by the European Human Resources Observatory-Nuclear (EHRO-N). It builds on the existing national nuclear education strategies in the EU and beyond and more than two decades of experience with the European Nuclear Education Network (ENEN). The paper outlines and substantiates the most important actions and risks related to human resources, which need to be managed successfully for the EU to contribute to the tripling of the nuclear power generation capacity on the planet by 2050 (as announced in COP28) and to retain its leading role in the nuclear power and non-power applications. The sheer complexity of this challenge calls for high-level strategic support, coordination, and partnership between all nuclear stakeholders, especially those involved in the decision-making. The present situation calls for urgent strategic actions with long-term sustainability.