Arizona State University, Purdue University and the University of Tennessee have banded together to create a consortium focused on filling the pipeline for the advanced nuclear workforce.
The New Nuclear Academic Consortium, announced on Oct. 14, the three public research universities are working on a regional and national effort to build up a new group of nuclear power workers.
The consortium looks to build on each school’s capabilities in the nuclear energy sector. When it is launched, the consortium plans to invite other universities to join it in the following six to 12 months, according to the University of Tennessee press release.
The consortium idea began at Arizona State University, establishing virtual and technology-enabled academic programs. The school’s main initial contribution is a “suite of three to five undergraduate micro-certificates, launching this year, that will equip mechanical, civil, electrical, materials and systems engineering students with nuclear fluency,” according to the release.
The University of Tennessee, which has a nuclear engineering program, is near the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Site where several advanced development projects are taking place. Purdue University operates the Purdue University Reactor Number One, a research reactor on campus that uses a fully digital safety and control system.
Just like many other domestic energy sectors, the nuclear industry is seeking more workers to meet the needs of increased nuclear power in coming years.
Additionally, President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to grow the domestic nuclear fleet from nearly 100 gigawatts to 400 gigawatts by 2050. Nuclear industry experts during POWER Magazine’s Experience POWER said to achieve that goal, the industry would need to triple its workforce, which currently stands around 100,000 people.
