In October, ONR nuclear associates – staff on route to become nuclear inspectors – gave delegates from the Nuclear Institute’s Young Generation Network a taste of the regulatory world. In a two-day event at ONR’s offices, delegates heard from the Environment Agency, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and ONR technical specialists, and took part in a table-top emergency response exercise.
Nuclear associates Rachel Curtis and Jess Taylor, part of the team organising the event, said: “The event was a sell-out, with 60 attendees from organisations across the industry, a mix of consultancies, licensees and supply chain companies.
“We put together a programme of presentations on all aspects of ONR’s activities, while speakers from the Environment Agency and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority gave a rounded view of how the nuclear industry is regulated. As many of the attendees are young professionals who are early on in their careers, we made sure that there were plenty of networking opportunities, including a dinner on the first evening.
“The feedback from the event was really positive – delegates particularly enjoyed the emergency response exercise and being able to meet their peers.”
Superintending Inspector Graeme Thomas, added: “Delegates clearly found the event inspiring, so let’s hope we’ve convinced some of those promising young professionals that a career in nuclear regulation is for them!”