Culham fusion lab signs pledge to support Armed Forces

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) Group, which includes the UKAEA National Fusion Laboratory and UK Fusion Energy (UKFE) at Culham Campus in Oxfordshire, signed the Armed Forces Covenant on July 22.

It aims to attract more veterans into the fusion energy sector, recognising their highly valuable and transferable experience in areas such as mechanical and electrical engineering, logistics and project management, and leadership.

Justin Kingsford, chief operating officer at UKAEA, said: “We are proud to have signed the Armed Forces Covenant, reaffirming our commitment to supporting serving personnel, reservists, veterans, and their families.

“As a veteran myself, I recognise the strong cultural connection between the Armed Forces and the UK Atomic Energy Authority.”

UKAEA has already taken steps to engage with the military community through its Fusion Opportunities in Skills, Training, Education and Research (FOSTER) programme.

It has attended a number of career events for Service Personnel and, in January, hosted 40 soon-to-leave or just-left armed forces personnel at Culham Campus in Abingdon.

The event gave attendees the opportunity to learn about career pathways into fusion and met a similar number of veterans already working at UKAEA.

Louis Szreider, defence relationship manager at the South East Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association (SERFCA), said: “Signing the Armed Forces Covenant is a fantastic commitment that creates mutually beneficial partnerships between Defence and employers.”