The document is almost a hundred pages thick. But we retain a single number. On April 21, the Orano Tricastin site, located in Pierrelatte, in Drôme, was chosen for the submission of the “Match” report to the Minister of Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher and to the Minister Delegate responsible for ‘Industry, Roland Lescure. This study, carried out by the Group of French Nuclear Energy Industrialists (Gifen), in collaboration with major clients, around a hundred companies and unions, anticipates the sector’s recruitment needs at around 100,000 in the next ten years. A workforce which more or less corresponds to the current number of direct jobs within the sector. And we’re going to have to go looking.
The result of three years of work and data collection, the Match program stands as the cornerstone of the nuclear revival desired by Emmanuel Macron. “Putting the report on the table caused an alignment and ripple effect,” assures Olivier Bard, general delegate of Gifen. It comes in the wake of the political decision of February 10, 2022, a major turning point. That day, the Head of State announced, from the General Electric site in Belfort, the construction of six new EPR 2 type reactors by 2050, with a first commissioning planned around 2035.
Nuclear power regains color
This speech played a shock role within the industry and beyond. “We are already seeing the “Belfort speech effect”. There are more and more people in schools. We have a high level of response to our job advertisements,” says Patrick Bossaert, HR Director of the engineering management and New Nuclear projects at EDF. On the Orano side, we see the same excitement. “We received 60,000 applications this year, two and a half times more than two years ago. This is a sign of renewed interest in the sector,” illustrates Hélène Derrien, director of human resources. and communication from the nuclear giant.
The trauma created by the Fukushima accident in 2011 seems to have been overcome. After the Japanese tragedy, nuclear power seemed like a scarecrow. Germany then accelerated the exit from the atom. France, for its part, aimed for a time to reduce its share in the French energy mix to 50% – against 75% currently -, with the culmination of the definitive shutdown of Fessenheim. “We were able to restore perspective after the entire period following this closure, which gave the image of an industry in decline,” remembers Elisabeth Terrail, executive vice-president HR of power plant manufacturer Framatome.
From now on, nuclear power is seeing its popularity rise among young people. Some even see the influence of a certain Jean-Marc Jancovici. “The image of the atom is improving and engineering schools are filling up. The figures show enthusiasm, because it is a carbon-free energy and it contributes to climate objectives,” says Hélène Badia, president of the University of Nuclear Professions, an association created in 2021 to promote recruitment in the sector. Be careful, however, not to declare victory too soon. “We have 30 years of deindustrialization behind us, the parents of these young people have seen factories close. There is still a lot of education to do,” she adds.
Seduction operation
State, businesses, schools, organizations… Everyone is now in working order to keep up with the sustained pace that lies ahead. “It has been a while since the sector was structured to meet the needs of the nuclear revival. All the players are aligned, including those in higher education,” says Eric Gadet, director of the National Institute of Sciences. and nuclear techniques.
On the ground, nuclear stakeholders are increasing their efforts to attract young people, sometimes even from middle school. “We are trying to bring together the business world and the educational world. It is essential, otherwise it will not work,” warns Henri Safa, the former director of the International Institute of Nuclear Energy (I2EN). The sector must nevertheless strengthen its attractiveness so as not to risk a shortage. “Before training, you have to be able to complete the training,” recalls the office of Agnès Pannier-Runacher. “You have to create the desire and move quickly. Nuclear power is a choice without regrets. With everything that is done in the framework of this relaunch and all the French know-how, the future of young people who join this sector is assured.” Elisabeth Terrail confirms: “The challenge is above all to attract young people to initial training to increase the pool of candidates. Today, qualified resources are fewer in number than needs because students are not sufficiently oriented in these areas.
A tight schedule
Moreover, in the short term already, nuclear power is not immune to the tensions observed in other sectors of the industry, and certain professions are struggling to find buyers. “There is competition for applications between sectors of activity and companies,” notes the Framatome specialist.
1,500 hires per year for Orano, 2,000 for Framatome, 3,500 for EDF… The heavyweights are nevertheless recruiting with all their might. “What is important is to maintain this effort over time. We try to avoid the roller coaster phenomenon,” notes Patrick Bossaert. For SMEs and ETIs, on the other hand, the rise in power is more complicated. “They need this to materialize through orders, and to understand the roles they will play, especially on new nuclear power,” estimates Olivier Bard of Gifen. However, the first contracts should not be long in coming. The government has set a timetable that is, to say the least, restrictive with the start of work on the first new generation EPR2 set for 2027 at the latest. And the promoter, Emmanuel Macron intends to attend.
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