Corporate report

The NDA group OneInclusion Strategy 2026 to 2030

Published 14 September 2026

Introduction

The UK nuclear sector is entering a period of significant growth and investment in innovative nuclear technologies vital to our future energy mix. In this context, inclusion cannot be treated as an add on. It must be embedded into how we plan, develop and lead our workforce, shaping the everyday behaviours and culture that enable our people to thrive.

Our mission, cleaning up the UK’s earliest nuclear sites safely, securely and sustainably for future generations, is fundamentally people-driven. We are accountable to the public and funded

by the taxpayer, we are expected to demonstrate the highest standards of fairness, equality, transparency and value for money. That includes reflecting the communities we serve, and building the trust needed to deliver our work effectively.

Inclusion for all is about being inclusive by design, building fairness, accessibility and belonging into our everyday principles in every process, policy and decision. It also requires a culture grounded in respect and psychological safety, where diverse perspectives are welcomed and inform better, safer and more proportionate decision-making across the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) group.

We also recognise our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 and a duty to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations. This applies across our policy-making and service delivery, alongside our obligations under the Energy Act and wider employment legislation. Inclusion is for everyone and we all have a role to play in ‘creating great places to work’ where individuals and teams can thrive.

The challenges ahead include geopolitics, uncertainty, complexity, advances in technology and AI that could impact on the scale of work and attracting the right skills, rising expectations on equity and equal opportunities for all, major changes in employment and equality legislation and the need to strengthen skills, culture and trust so we can attract, develop and retain the talent required for our mission.

A warm welcome from our CEO, David Peattie

As we come to the end of our current inclusion strategy, I want to recognise the commitment, energy and progress made across the NDA group. Since launching our group inclusion strategy

in 2021, we have made sustained progress in strengthening respect, openness and belonging; embedding inclusive leadership; developing diverse talent; improving transparency; and listening to our employees.

As we enter the next chapter, inclusion remains central to delivering safe, secure and sustainable clean-up. It underpins our ability to attract and retain talent, strengthen employee voice and build workplaces that reflect the communities we serve.

Reflecting on our progress

As we look to the next five years and a refreshed set of priorities, it’s worth reflecting on some of our achievements since we launched our 2021 to 2025 NDA group inclusion strategy.

Over this period, we have laid strong foundations for embedding diversity and inclusion across the organisation. We placed respect, openness and belonging at the heart of our culture, introduced inclusive leadership training and built clear leadership accountability through objectives and performance measures. We improved recruitment through an end-to-end review of our selection process. Alongside this, we invested in programmes to support and develop female talent, examined our gender pay gaps and highlighted where improvements need to be made.

Employee voice has been strengthened through the growth of our employee networks, supported by Employee Network Framework. We have improved the quality and completeness of our D&I data, enabling better analysis and more informed planning. Annual employee engagement surveys provided a consistent benchmark for progress and a platform for feedback, leading to ‘You said, we did’ action plans.

We also improved transparency by reporting on inclusion metrics, including diversity characteristics, pay gaps and engagement survey results, while maintaining external commitments such as Disability Confident Leader status and the Race at Work Charter. Ongoing communications, including around national awareness days and weeks, reinforced our messages of respect, dignity and inclusion.

How we’ve benchmarked our progress

Our success is measured not only by progress against our own ambitions and regular reporting through our internal governance, but by independent recognition we’ve achieved along the way. During the 2021–2025 inclusion strategy, the

NDA group proudly achieved significant external accreditations, including Disability Confident Leader status and TIDE (Talent Inclusion and Diversity Evaluation) benchmarking in 2025 saw Sellafield awarded gold, and all our businesses achieving gold, silver and bronze scores.

Onvero is an employer network with over 400 employer organisations across the public, private and third sectors. These employers represent a wide range of industries, including construction, energy and local authorities, all focused on building diverse and inclusive workplaces. Since its launch in 2021, our NDA group MenoHub, has gained national recognition, winning multiple awards including the 2024 Most Menopause Friendly Working Environment Award.

A word from Wanda Goldwag, Chair of the NDA group D&I Council and Chair of Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS)

As Chair of the NDA group D&I Council and Chair of NTS, I see inclusion as a long-term commitment that strengthens how we lead, how we make decisions and how we deliver for the public. I am personally committed to ensuring this strategy is translated into practical action and sustained improvement across the group.

Inclusion is not a standalone programme; it must be built into everyday leadership actions, people practices and the way we listen and respond to colleagues. Over the next phase, we will be clear about the outcomes we expect, how we will measure progress and where accountability sits so that commitments are visible, tracked and owned.

Together, we can build workplaces where everyone is treated fairly and supported to do their best work. I look forward to working with colleagues and partners across the NDA group to deliver this strategy with pace, care and consistency.

 Our vision for the next chapter 2026 - 2030

Great places to work where everyone feels respected, included and able to thrive.

As we move into the next phase of our inclusion journey, we are building on strong foundations to take a more deliberate and mature approach. We have made inclusion part of our culture; now we will embed it more deeply into how we lead, how we develop skills, how we make decisions across the NDA group and create a culture of acceptance, belonging and psychological safety for all colleagues.

Inclusion and skills are inseparable. In the complex environments in which we operate, change, reorganisation, growth and the transfer of Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) sites from EDF means we welcome diverse perspectives that will drive new ways of working, innovation, strengthen safety and sharpen judgement, enabling better decisions where they matter most. Our OneInclusion Strategy brings inclusion and workforce capability closer together, aligning leadership development and skills planning with the UK Nuclear Skills Charter, the National Nuclear Skills Plan and our obligations under the Equality Act.

The NDA Group Sustainability Strategy commits to delivering the mission in a way that creates a positive legacy for people, communities and the environment, aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The SDG global equality goals seek to reduce all inequalities, achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls, access to quality education and life-long learning opportunities for all, employment opportunities, and equal pay for equal work.

Central to this is fostering a culture that is open, transparent and inclusive. We will empower our people and support local and regional communities to build sustainable economies, while developing the skills and capability needed for the future nuclear sector. In delivering our work, we will ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded in decision-making, enabling fair outcomes across current and future generations. By balancing operational excellence with social value, environmental responsibility and inclusive behaviours, we will strengthen trust, enhance wellbeing and ensure that the benefits of our work are shared widely across society.

See our sustainability strategy for more details.

The NDA group has a specific responsibility to have regard for the economic and environmental wellbeing of the communities where we are delivering our mission. This responsibility underpins our socio-economic investment programme and

is further strengthened by the 2012 Social Value Act which requires publicly funded organisations to consider how they can also secure wider social, economic, and environmental benefits in the course of their work.

Our socio-economic programme invests up to £15 million per year in those communities where we are progressing our decommissioning mission, leveraging millions more in the

process. Working in partnership with all parts of the group, we co-create effective economic interventions with community stakeholders using independently produced economic impact assessments.

Our primary purpose will always be nuclear decommissioning, but in the process, we aim to enable permanent, positive, and significant social and economic change wherever possible.

Our work has seen the delivery of new schools, jobs, skills, and training facilities in the communities in which we operate. This programme addresses the key structural economic challenges facing our site communities and is delivered by local social impact teams working in our operating companies and living in those communities where we are working to achieve change.

This strategy represents a joined-up approach to step change - from commitment to consistency and from intention to impact. We will embed inclusive leadership at every level, strengthen accountability and hardwire inclusion into how we develop people and make decisions. In doing so, we move from building momentum to sustaining it and from good practice to lasting change across the NDA group.

The OneInclusion Strategy pillars

The inclusion strategy pillars show how our culture, workplace, employee experience and measurement practices work together to create great places to work where everyone feels respected, included and able to thrive.

The four pillars are:

• Inclusive culture
• Inclusive workplace
• Inclusive experience
• Inclusive measurement

Strategic theme 1: Inclusive culture

Lead the way through inclusive leadership and accountability.

We will lead the way by strengthening our inclusive culture through leadership, accountability and visible role-modelling, and by positively influencing the wider nuclear sector.

How we lead

Our leaders play a significant role in shaping an inclusive culture. The NDA group Leadership Standard sets the expectations for how leaders behave, develop others and create psychologically safe environments. This strategy reinforces that standard. We will:

• Embed inclusive leadership behaviours directly into the NDA Group Leadership Standard, ensuring inclusive practice is part of how leaders plan, communicate and make decisions.
• Strengthen consistency across the group by using shared language on leadership expectations and adopting a common definition of inclusive leadership across the NDA group.
• Reinforce accountability by linking inclusive leadership expectations to objectives, performance reviews and leadership development.

Make inclusion part of how we lead

Every leader will be accountable for supporting and sustaining an inclusive workplace culture. We will equip managers with the skills, tools and confidence to lead their teams inclusively through knowledge sharing, awareness sessions, personal development and training. Leaders will act as visible inclusion champions, setting the tone, shaping culture and consistently role modelling inclusive behaviours and language to unlock potential in every team.

Role models for inclusion

Our leaders will understand and uphold our responsibilities under the Equality Act and the proactive Public Sector Equality Duty, ensuring we eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations across our workplaces and the communities we serve.

Design wellbeing into everything we do

We will champion wellbeing as a foundation for performance, connection and belonging. Wellbeing will be embedded into our policies, leadership expectations and ways of working, recognising that inclusive, high-performing organisations support people when and where they need it. OneWellbeing Strategy sets out a collective effort so everyone can manage their personal wellbeing as they need to and when they need to. Wellbeing is critical to our mission success. For the three pillars of leadership, community and people, see our OneWellbeing Strategy.

Strengthen employee voice

We will encourage colleagues to champion inclusion and participate in employee networks, awareness sessions, and to engage in dialogue and feedback channels. We will respond consistently to employee feedback through “You Said, We Did” cycles, supported by group-wide network and employee engagement platforms that build trust and transparency.

Strategic theme 2: Inclusive workplace

Attracting the best talent and improving workforce diversity by embedding inclusion throughout the employee lifecycle.

The NDA group has sites and offices around the UK in rural and coastal areas resulting in geographical and demographic challenges in attracting diverse talent. Whilst it may take longer in some areas, the long-term ambition is to build a workforce that reflects the communities around our sites and regions we operate in and to better represent the population of the UK.

Build a workforce that reflects the UK

Our group goals 2026 to 2030 are informed by our people data, site locations, regional and national demographics. Some sites are remote, but we also have locations that are closer to diverse communities where we can do more to promote careers in the NDA and the nuclear sector. We aim to achieve the following group goals:

• 35% women in all roles including early career roles
• 33% women in leadership roles
• 5% Ethnic minority colleagues
• 6% Disability, neurodiversity and mental health
• 4% LGBTQ+

We are committed to merit-based hiring and promotion policy and practice. The goals are not quotas and are intended to help us ensure fairness, equal opportunities, break down socio-economic barriers that can cause social disadvantage, remove stereotypes and biases from our processes and ensure job opportunities are advertised more widely across the UK. We will encourage applications from all communities, and we want to work with talented people who can help us deliver the mission.

We are currently in a period of change with spending reviews, tighter financial control and headcount reductions within the NDA group leading to some constraints in external recruitment. However, we will seek to maintain the gains achieved to date and will explore any opportunities within the recruitment pipeline.

See the Inclusion Goals Framework for all our goals and stretch ambitions.

Inclusion will be embedded throughout the employee lifecycle Across development, recruitment, talent progression and wellbeing, we will embed inclusion throughout the employee lifecycle. We will use data to identify and remove bias and uphold our commitments as an inclusive employer, Disability Confident Leader and Race at Work Charter signatory. We will keep our people processes accessible, fair and under continuous review and assess outcomes through an intersectional lens to reduce barriers. We will align with the National Nuclear Strategic Plan for Skills so every investment in capability also advances diversity, equity and belonging.

Get the basics right

We will strengthen our foundations by continuing to raise awareness, create learning and training opportunities to reach more managers and colleagues and using clear, consistent pathways. Inclusive policies will be embedded across recruitment, talent development, HR and people policies, ensuring fairness and consistency across the NDA group.

Supply chain inclusion

We will extend inclusion expectations beyond our direct workforce and into our supply chain. This will include:

• A supplier inclusion maturity model
• Annual joint learning sessions with key suppliers
• Shared learning and alignment on recognised commitments such as Disability Confident and the Race at Work Charter

Accessibility and the built environment

We continue to embrace our Disability Confident Leader status and embed our workplace reasonable adjustments approach, and we will introduce group-wide accessibility checklists and initiatives such as the sunflower hidden disabilities scheme across the group to ensure our workplaces are inclusive and accessible. Given the scale of our estate, implementation will be prioritised through local assessments, educating our workforce, empowering disabled colleagues (physical disability, mental health and neurodiversity) to feel comfortable requesting reasonable adjustments. We will engage with our disability networks to gain insights about employee experience to help shape our policies and workplaces.

Strategic theme 3 : Inclusive experience

Empowering employee voice, wellbeing and belonging.

NDA group views inclusion in the broadest sense; everyone brings diverse backgrounds, experiences and challenges, and we are committed to supporting all our people to achieve their full potential.

Create an environment where everyone can thrive

We will strengthen employee feedback, embed mental health and wellbeing support through our mental health providers and wellbeing services. We will continue to listen through engagement surveys, town halls and “You Said, We Did” action plans. Diverse perspectives and ideas will help to shape decisions and initiatives, and drive innovation.

Fairness and support from day one

We will embed family-friendly policies and fair access to sick pay from the start of employment, ensuring manager practice consistently supports equity, wellbeing, retention and progression.

Awareness of harassment

We will maintain a robust approach to harassment and bullying that demonstrates all reasonable steps are taken to make leaders and colleagues aware of their responsibilities and address incidents. This will include targeted training, clear policy and guidance, reporting routes, effective monitoring and attention to risk assessments and third-party environments. We will ensure routes for raising concerns, grievances and protected disclosures (Speak Up) are clear, trusted and safe.

Working in partnership with trade unions

We will work hand in hand with trade unions, co-creating and collaborating on engaging the workforce, inclusion and wellbeing programmes, activities and campaigns that reflect the needs of our workforce. We recognise the common goals we share in promoting equality, inclusion and a positive workplace environment.

Be open and transparent

We will share our progress openly, publishing annual reports on inclusion, gender pay gap and emerging legislation on disability and ethnicity pay gap reporting, engagement survey results, speak up metrics. Group-wide engagement channels will help us reach voices that are often missed and strengthen links with stakeholders.

Inclusive innovation

We will adopt innovative approaches that promote inclusion by design, harnessing diversity of thought, data driven insight and emerging technologies. This includes applying responsible AI principles to reduce bias in people processes and expanding ‘accessibility by design’ across physical and digital environments. These advances will strengthen psychological safety, wellbeing and confident decision-making.

Employee networks and membership partners

Our networks and external partners will help create communities of good practice and co-design future solutions through focused innovation labs (short, structured sessions where diverse colleagues and those with lived experience test ideas quickly and turn what works into practical changes). Lived experience continues to shape our approach. To increase impact, we will continue to mature our networks and explore bringing networks with common goals closer together, reducing duplication, strengthening collaboration and enabling networks to work together to share insight, influence decisions and help drive change.

Strategic theme 4: Inclusive measurement

Accountability, transparency and evidence-led improvement.

Be open and accountable

We will set clear, measurable goals, track progress and benchmark performance. This will include regular reporting on workforce diversity, engagement and wellbeing, with annual updates on representation, pay gaps and employee experience benchmarked against UK and sector metrics and standards. Analytics, audit and independent assurance will help us learn lessons, refine our approach and continuously improve.

Gender Equality Action Planning

We will publish an evidence-based Gender Equality Action Plan, which will become mandatory from 2027 alongside our annual Gender Pay Gap report. This plan will set out clear actions, ownership across our group, milestones and success measures. Progress will be reviewed annually alongside our gender pay gap reporting.

Equality Impact Assessment

We will strengthen our Equality Impact Assessments (EQIA) approach for major strategy, financial and policy changes including HR policies that impact on our workforce or communities. We have agreed a target for EQIAs to be completed for all major investment projects, engagement with wider stakeholder groups, as well as the impacts and mitigations presented at the Group Investment Committee (GIC).

Build trust in data

We will encourage colleagues to share their diversity information by clearly explaining its purpose, value and how data is used to guide our initiatives. Our ambition is to achieve and exceed 85% data declarations, and we could become sector leading in this strategy phase. Using digital and AI-enabled tools, we will continue data campaigns, with confidentiality assured through anonymised reporting.

How we will deliver our strategy

The above will help us to monitor delivery of our strategy and local annual actions plans owned and implemented by the NDA and Operating Companies. Our plans and progress are regularly reviewed at a group level by the NDA Board, Health Safety, Sustainability and Security Committee, Group People Strategy Board, D&I Council, and D&I Delivery Group. In addition, governance is extended into our operating companies through senior leadership teams, steering or working groups, and functional leadership. Governance and reporting frameworks are in place for quarterly and annual reviews of the strategy, plan delivery and performance.

Publishing our group people metrics

In response to external government recommendations, we will continue to improve our people data and publish an Annual Group People Report covering engagement survey results, safety and wellbeing, diversity data, bullying and harassment, and Speak Up insights. We welcome the opportunity to be transparent and to share our performance publicly.

Inclusion Goals Framework

The Inclusion Goals Framework sets out the measurable outcomes we are working towards as a group. It provides a clear line of sight between strategic ambition and delivery, creating transparency, accountability and a shared understanding of success. By defining realistic, stretch and capability-building goals, the framework focuses efforts where it will have the greatest impact and supports improvement. It is noted our recruitment and hiring policies are merit based. We look at fairness and equality across our whole workforce through our employee survey results, people and D&I data, bullying and harassment and Speak Up reporting.

Success depends on action across the NDA group. The NDA and each operating company will translate this strategy into local plans that reflect their workforce, operating context, regional demographics and priorities in host communities including West Cumbria, North Wales, Caithness and North Sutherland. We will also explore opportunities to attract diverse talent from across the UK and any of our locations in regions that are closer to areas with diverse communities.

Measurable goals will align with this strategy, the NDA group Leadership Standard, employee engagement survey and the ‘OneWellbeing’ Strategy, with progress tracked through shared metrics and regular reporting.

Inclusion goals	NDA group Baseline Dec 2025	NDA group goal 2026 to 2030	Exceeding goal	Stretch goal
D&I data disclosure	79.7%	85%	87%	90%
Women representation across all roles	32.9%	35%	40%	50%
Women representation in leadership roles	32.3%	33%	35%	37%
Black and minority ethnic representation	2.2%	5%	6%	7%
Disability representation	5.4%	6%	7%	8%
LGBTQ+ representation	2.5%	4%	5%	6%
Early Careers data: Women	32.77%	40%	45%	50%
Early Careers data: Ethnic minority	8.45%	10%	15%	17%
Early Careers data: Disability	5.6%	7%	8%	9%
Early Careers data: LGBTQ+	3.3%	4%	5%	6%
Employee Engagement Survey scores (average of NDA and OpCos): Engagement	7.12	+0.3 points	+0.6 points	+0.9 points or more
Employee Engagement Survey scores (average of NDA and OpCos): Diversity and inclusion	7.59
Employee Engagement Survey scores (average of NDA and OpCos): Health and wellbeing	7.39
Gender Pay Gap reduction in mean hourly average (pp = percentage points, showing the change from the baseline gender pay gap rather than a percentage change)	10.5% average	-1.0% pp	-1.5% pp	-2.0% pp
E-learning for all employees - respect, inclusion, values, behaviours in the workplace and legal responsibilities	19,000 completed	85%	90%	95%
Inclusion standards in our supply chain (aligned to Disability Confident). Key suppliers determined by NDA/OpCos are encouraged to sign up to DC. This is not conditional for tender evaluation or contract approvals but encourages good practice and sharing learning	New for 2026 - NDA group as a DC Level 3 org has a leadership role in encouraging other orgs to improve disability in the workplace	50% of key suppliers meeting baseline inclusion standards DCL1 committed	20% of key suppliers meeting inclusion standards DCL2 – employer status	20% of key suppliers meeting baseline inclusion standards DCL3 – Leader validated
Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs) for major people decisions resulting in changes to strategy and policies. Priorities areas to be agreed	New for 2026	NDA/OpCos complete 70% EQIAs for HR/People policies. Business / investment cases	75% completion of EQIAs	80% completion of EQIAs

Summary

This strategy builds on the progress of 2021–2025 and marks a shift from embedding inclusion to delivering sector-leading outcomes. Inclusion is integral to our mission, shaping how we lead, how we plan our workforce and how we create great places to work.

It reinforces our duty as a public sector organisation to lead by example, ensuring we have the skills, culture and trust to deliver safe, secure and sustainable clean-up for generations to come.