Building the Nuclear Workforce

If America is going to embark on a course of new nuclear build, there's going to be more involved than just bending metal and pouring concrete. We're also going to need to educate and train a new generation of nuclear plant employees, from skilled crafts workers to engineers and operators.

Here's more from an alternative student newspaper at the University of Florida, Gainesville:

Now, as the industry looks to expand nuclear power to supply more than 23 percent of U.S. electricity needs, college graduates are needed.

"It's a problem nobody really talks about," [Alireza] Haghighat said. "We need time to train, and do we have it?"

In response to the situation, the NRE [Nuclear and Radiological Engineering] at UF, one of about 20 universities in the nation offering nuclear programs, is taking steps to increase the number of students entering utility jobs, Haghighat said.

"We have grown significantly in the last four years," he added.

Under Haghighat, the number of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the department more than doubled, with 30 percent enrolled in nuclear engineering.

However, limited funds permit acceptance of only 10 percent of graduate applicants.

"We simply cannot afford all those students," Haghighat said.

As we mentioned a number of months ago, NRC is gearing up as well. For more on NEI's efforts in this area, click here. And for our library on education and careers in the commercial nuclear industry, click here.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy Environment, Energy, Technology, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, University of Florida, Nuclear Engineering