An important debate on the future of the nuclear sector in Poland
On the 17th of June 2026, the Nuclear Energy Open Day took place at the Education and Congress Centre of the Silesian University of Technology. The event was attended by students, university candidates, academics and those interested in the development of the nuclear sector in Poland.
The Nuclear Energy Open Day was held for the third time at the Silesian University of Technology. This event has become a permanent fixture in the calendar of the Silesian University of Technology. The meeting's participants were primarily young people – secondary school and university students who had embarked on an education path in areas important to the nuclear sector or are looking for appropriate fields of study.
The Rector of the Silesian University of Technology, Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Marek Pawełczyk, during the inauguration of the event emphasized that the University is particularly developing education in this field.
- Nuclear energy is one of the most strategic and dynamically developing areas of the modern economy. It is also a key element in building our country's energy security, based on stable, low-emission and modern energy sources. That is why it is so important to educate highly qualified staff who will be able to meet the challenges of this sector. The Silesian University of Technology has been consistently engaged in the development of competencies necessary for the nuclear energy sector for years, - said the Rector. He also added that the Silesian University of Technology is developing educational programs and cooperating with industrial and institutional partners to prepare students for the realities of the labour market.
- Today's event is the best example of this. It combines education, practice and inspiration. I encourage young people to take advantage of the opportunity to participate in workshops, establish contacts and build their career path, he added.
Vice Rector for Science and International Cooperation, Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Sebastian Werle also noted that the Silesian University of Technology is developing its scientific potential in the nuclear aspect not only in the domestic arena, but also abroad.
- A few weeks ago, we were unanimously elected members of the ENEN group (The European Nuclear Education Network), a European network responsible for education in the field of nuclear energy in Europe. Among the very important scientific institutions in Europe, for several days now our university has also belonged to the network (CHERNE - Cooperation for Higher Education on Radiological and Nuclear Engineering), which, in addition to nuclear energy, touches on the topic of radiological protection. From a scientific perspective, we are coordinators of programs supporting the training of personnel for the nuclear energy sector, together with the Ministry of Energy and the National Centre for Nuclear Research, - he enumerated.
The Silesian University of Technology implemented the DEsire project, the conclusions of which became the basis for popularizing the Coal-to-Nuclear transformation in Poland, including it in the strategic Polish Nuclear Power Program. Currently, our University is also the leader of the 4NEW project, which it implements in cooperation with the Ministry of Energy, the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) and the University of Economics in Katowice. Both projects received funding under the GOSPOSTRARTEG programme of the National Centre for Research and Development. A few weeks ago, a cooperation agreement between our University and the
National Centre for Nuclear Research was officially signed. The coordinator of this cooperation - Dr. Hab. Eng. Łukasz Bartela, Prof. SUT and the manager of the above-mentioned projects has no doubt that nuclear topics are becoming more and more popular every year.
- The issues we address during the Nuclear Energy Open Day are still the same, but year by year this topic is becoming more and more real, also important for young people in the context of future employment, and that is encouraging - he said. - This year, representatives of 42 institutions and companies from the nuclear sector are participating in our event. Importantly, also the largest global players. This is key to this event. This direct contact between representatives of companies and institutions and young people is intended to enable them to formulate their expectations towards potential employers and gain knowledge about market needs, employment prospects in the near future and application paths, - he added.
The prospects of the event were discussed in detail during the panel discussion “Nuclear energy – national staff and competences” with the participation of representatives of: Ministry of Energy, National Atomic Energy Agency, Office of Technical Inspection, PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna, Polish Nuclear Power Plants and ORLEN Synthos Green Energy. The second panel – “Global players on the domestic market – the needs of the nuclear sector” – gathered representatives of companies such as: EDF, Westinghouse Electric Poland, Candu Energy/AtkinsRealis, the Chamber of Commerce for Energy and Environmental Protection, Energoprojekt-Katowice and ATEC.
- In implementing the plan to build and develop the nuclear sector in Poland, people will be the most important. We have no doubts about this, said Paweł Gajda from the Department of Nuclear Energy at the Ministry of Energy.
Those responsible for the construction of the first nuclear investment in Poland, which is scheduled to be launched in 2036, have already announced that 10,000 people will be working on the construction site at any one time. These will be specialists from various industries – engineers in nuclear technology, but also welding, civil engineering, supervision, etc. Currently, the company responsible for the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Poland is waiting for a building permit. It is expected that the first concrete will be poured in 2028.
During the Nuclear Energy Open Day, young people were encouraged to consider pursuing a career in the nuclear industry. Women were also encouraged, or perhaps especially so, thanks to the Women in Nuclear Polska association, which has been promoting the presence of women in the most important companies involved in nuclear energy for several years. At the Silesian University of Technology, representatives of the association led workshops for young people, attended by over 100 people – primary and secondary school pupils, and university students from the region. Participants had the opportunity to learn about current market challenges, required competencies and career paths in this dynamically developing sector.
Monika Silva from Women in Nuclear Polska admitted that there are still many myths surrounding the industry and that parents often prevent their children from deciding to work in this sector.
- We encourage not only women, but all young people to start their adventure with the nuclear industry. Many women work in laboratories at the National Centre for Nuclear Research and at the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology. These are wonderful engineers who already work for the nuclear sector, and it's important to know that it's not just electricity, but also areas
of our lives such as medicine, food decontamination, or dealing with monuments and conservation, everything related to ionizing radiation, - she explained.
The youth listened attentively. It was also an opportunity to present the educational offer for first-cycle studies in the field of Power Industry and second-cycle studies in the field of Nuclear Energy at the Silesian University of Technology.
The event takes place under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Education and the Ministry of Energy, and its organization is supported by PTE DEsire.
fot. Maciej Mutwil
