AWE nurturing new talent in UK-wide campaign
AWE – the group responsible for supporting the UK government’s nuclear defence strategy for more than 70 years – has highlighted the importance of recruiting new talent to the sector, with its mission possibly more important than ever given current geopolitical tension.
AWE’s support for the government’s strategy takes many facets: from supporting the weapon programme for the nuclear deterrent, supporting the UK’s counter terrorist programme, identifying where there may be nuclear tests taking place around the world, and building an expert group of scientists “in order to give the UK real depth in nuclear science and technology”.
However, global tension has “reinforced a real focus on why [AWE is] doing this,” explained CEO Nick Elliot. Speaking to Aerospace Global News, he elaborated that while defence capabilities evolve, so too must the company supporting the UK’s strategy invest in its own personnel.
“People from every academic institution around the UK are very much part of that future,” said Elliott, highlighting that the previous government’s reinvestment in the UK nuclear capability necessitates the best people across a multitude of roles. AWE currently employs around eight thousand employees located across the country, with additional outposts in France and the US.
“We need to make sure we’re visible as a country,” Elliott concluded, adding that the AWE already possess great partnerhsips with academic institutions– with its sponsored postgraduate programme “probably the largest of any employer in the UK”.
