Saskatchewan Polytechnic has signed a 5-year partnership deal with UK-based National Skills Academy Nuclear (NSAN) to advance the development of Canada’s nuclear workforce.

The partnership will bring courses to Sask Polytech that will transfer students’ previously acquired skills to a nuclear setting.

NSAN Operations Director Nicola Wallwork says the nature of most of the work already done in the province will make training a nuclear workforce easier.

“You (Saskatchewan) already have a strong foundation of technical and safety critical industries. Thousands of people working in mining, oil and gas, manufacturing, agriculture and various trades.”

She adds that the courses have helped workers in the UK transition their skills to work in a nuclear environment and thinks they can work in Saskatchewan too.

“And that same approach adopted for this province could help hundreds of people move into nuclear quickly and confidently. To make this transition easier, NSAN has developed a suite of programs that support everyone from new entrants to senior leaders.”

Sask Polytech President and CEO Dr. Larry Rosia says that NSAN was chosen for the partnership because the training they provide will give workers the additional skills needed to transition to the nuclear sector.

“When we went about trying to build that out, we looked around the globe for the best-of-class that were doing nuclear training and we found a partner, a best-of-class partner in the UK, which was NSAN. Rather than reinvent the wheel, this is all about speed to market and making sure the Saskatchewan is ready for the nuclear renaissance that is happening.”

Rosia says both the demand and enrolment rates for the courses is very high. The goal of the partnership is to build a workforce for the small modular reactors planned for the province.