The government and its industrial partners aim to double defence nuclear apprentice and graduate intakes to build the required workforce. The National Nuclear Strategic Plan for Skills targets 22,000 apprenticeships and 9,000 graduate positions over the next decade.
Recruitment will extend beyond scientists and engineers with specialist nuclear expertise. The enterprise also depends heavily on skilled trades, including welders, electricians and mechanical fitters.
The Defence Nuclear Enterprise brings together the organisations responsible for operating, maintaining, renewing and sustaining Britain’s nuclear capabilities. Its portfolio covers hundreds of projects, including two submarine construction programmes, another class in design, the Astraea replacement warhead and a new nuclear fuels programme.
Dreadnought, the four-boat ballistic missile submarine programme replacing the Vanguard class, will support more than 30,000 UK jobs at its peak. SSN-AUKUS, the planned successor to the Astute-class attack submarines, is expected to support 21,000 jobs and become operational by the late 2030s.
Britain is also investing £15 billion during the current Parliament in its sovereign nuclear warhead programme, supporting more than 9,000 jobs. The programme includes Astraea, which will replace the Mk4A warhead while retaining compatibility with the Trident II D5 missile.
Employment is concentrated around several major industrial and military sites. BAE Systems’ Barrow-in-Furness operation employs approximately 13,500 people, while AWE Nuclear Security Technologies in Berkshire has a workforce of about 9,500.
HMNB Devonport and Babcock’s Devonport Royal Dockyard employ around 8,000 people across co-located naval and industrial operations. HMNB Clyde supports approximately 5,000 personnel, while Rolls-Royce Submarines employs another 4,000 at its main reactor development and production site.
The sector’s industrial reach extends well beyond those principal locations. More than 6,000 UK-based companies participate in the defence nuclear supply chain, ranging from small and medium-sized businesses to major industrial groups.
Investment and employment are particularly concentrated in north-west and south-west England and western Scotland. The government is also supporting local development through initiatives including the £200 million Barrow Transformation Fund.
Defence nuclear workers earn an average wage premium of approximately 20% over the national average, according to a Ministry of Defence survey of the main industry organisations. The figure reflects the specialist skills required across submarine construction, warhead production and nuclear engineering.
The workforce expansion will be accompanied by multi-billion-pound research and development spending over the next decade. The government expects closer coordination with the civil nuclear sector, particularly in training, skills and supply chains, to support both national security and energy resilience.
The Ministry of Defence is also recapitalising critical infrastructure, modernising naval bases and manufacturing processes, and expanding industrial capacity. The investment is intended to support higher submarine production as the Dreadnought class enters service from the early 2030s and work advances on SSN-AUKUS.
