Nuclear power plants in the United States are closing at an unexpected rate, thus reducing the size of the nuclear power industry which was expected to grow as part of the so-called “nuclear renaissance.” Since growth is becoming more of a wish than a reality, another subsistence strategy for nuclear power is license renewal. Along with plant closures comes a reduction in knowledgeable and experienced professionals, especially those that possess the unique expertise related to engineering design projects. This paper records a literature review performed to evaluate the state of knowledge retention issues and strategies within the nuclear industry, identify those initiatives taking place to improve the engineering design process and assess how these contribute to the license renewal process.