A Czech nuclear power plant has been forced to apologize after holding a bikini contest to choose its new female intern.

Dboule Temelin Nuclear Power Station, located near the city of Ceske Budejovice in the South Bohemian Region in South-western Czech Republic, sparked a backlash with its bizarre recruitment policy.

Temelin, the largest energy producer in the Czech Republic, opened up the “competition” for an intern position online, asking pretty young things to step forward.

Administrators then selected ten female candidates from those that put themselves forward.

They then organized a photo shoot with the scantily-clad hopefuls in one of the station’s cooling towers to decide who would get the position.

The sexy snaps were posted on the company website, with fans asked to vote for the hottest to secure the internship job.

The story has since hit headlines around the world and sparked outrage among many.

The recruitment process was branded “sexist” and “scandalous” by critics, with power station bosses forced into a grovelling apology.

Representatives of Temelin said the bikini contest was only one part of a beauty pageant among school graduates, adding that they were “trying to make technical education more popular.”

Bosses have expressed regret for any upset caused but said the campaign was “misunderstood.”

But netizens online have not been impressed by the organizers’ excuses.

Petra Havlíková, a lawyer for human rights non-profit Nesehnutí and an equal opportunities adviser, is quoted by DW as saying: “The competition is absolutely outside the bounds of ethics.

“In 2017, I find it incredible that someone could gain a professional advantage for their good looks.”

According to the German website, one internet user commented: “Undress and you get an internship – this cannot be serious, it’s degrading, disgusting and primitive.”

Another is quoted as saying: “Knowledge obviously does not matter.”