Published: Friday, August 14, 2009
College seeks money from nuclear industry
RICHLAND — In an area where nuclear waste cleanup and atomic energy research keep the economy humming, businesses and government agencies are having trouble finding workers with nuclear credentials.
A local college was poised to step in and educate new workers, but state lawmakers declined to provide money for the program during the economic downturn. Now the college is scrounging for cash from companies that stand to benefit most when the program gets off the ground.
Columbia Basin College, which laid out its plans for the program in a 40-page business plan, can look to dozens of colleges around the country where nuclear program salaries, tuition and equipment are increasingly being supported by the industry itself.
“These programs are definitely needed. There’s an aging work force, and it’s getting to be an important situation,” Columbia Basin College President Richard Cummins said. “As these folks retire, they’re the brain trust for this work, and we don’t have a lot of people in the pipelines to make sure our systems are safe and reliable.”
The number of colleges and universities offering degrees in nuclear sciences has grown to about five dozen in recent years. But five years ago, fewer than 10 were driven by corporate sponsors, said Carol Berrigan, senior director for industry infrastructure for the Nuclear Energy Institute.
Today, more than 45 programs around the country get corporate donations, she said.
In some cases, companies send their experienced nuclear workers to step in as part-time instructors. Some pay for laboratory equipment or salaries. Many provide scholarships and internships.
Long known as a nuclear hub, Southeast Washington is home to the nation’s most contaminated nuclear site, the Hanford nuclear reservation, and the Northwest’s only commercial nuclear power plant.
The biggest holes to fill aren’t necessarily for nuclear operators or engineers, though they are needed, said Vic Parrish, CEO of Energy Northwest, the consortium that operates the plant. Rather, they are the craft workers — mechanics or welders who must know how to work in a radiological environment — and radiation technicians who check to make sure areas are safe.
An example: Hanford contractor Washington Closure hired six new radiation technicians earlier this summer, with openings for 10 more. Each position required at least three years of experience.
The company hasn’t contributed to the nuclear technologies program but did donate $10,000 to the school’s foundation to be used as it pleases, spokesman Todd Nelson said.
Cummins, the college president, estimates he needs $300,000 a year to get the program started. He declined to say how much has been committed so far.
As a public agency, Energy Northwest can’t contribute cash but is offering internships and its staff members as instructors.
“Businesses have a responsibility to educate workers too. It’s really a business investment,” Parrish said.
A local college was poised to step in and educate new workers, but state lawmakers declined to provide money for the program during the economic downturn. Now the college is scrounging for cash from companies that stand to benefit most when the program gets off the ground.
Columbia Basin College, which laid out its plans for the program in a 40-page business plan, can look to dozens of colleges around the country where nuclear program salaries, tuition and equipment are increasingly being supported by the industry itself.
“These programs are definitely needed. There’s an aging work force, and it’s getting to be an important situation,” Columbia Basin College President Richard Cummins said. “As these folks retire, they’re the brain trust for this work, and we don’t have a lot of people in the pipelines to make sure our systems are safe and reliable.”
The number of colleges and universities offering degrees in nuclear sciences has grown to about five dozen in recent years. But five years ago, fewer than 10 were driven by corporate sponsors, said Carol Berrigan, senior director for industry infrastructure for the Nuclear Energy Institute.
Today, more than 45 programs around the country get corporate donations, she said.
In some cases, companies send their experienced nuclear workers to step in as part-time instructors. Some pay for laboratory equipment or salaries. Many provide scholarships and internships.
Long known as a nuclear hub, Southeast Washington is home to the nation’s most contaminated nuclear site, the Hanford nuclear reservation, and the Northwest’s only commercial nuclear power plant.
The biggest holes to fill aren’t necessarily for nuclear operators or engineers, though they are needed, said Vic Parrish, CEO of Energy Northwest, the consortium that operates the plant. Rather, they are the craft workers — mechanics or welders who must know how to work in a radiological environment — and radiation technicians who check to make sure areas are safe.
An example: Hanford contractor Washington Closure hired six new radiation technicians earlier this summer, with openings for 10 more. Each position required at least three years of experience.
The company hasn’t contributed to the nuclear technologies program but did donate $10,000 to the school’s foundation to be used as it pleases, spokesman Todd Nelson said.
Cummins, the college president, estimates he needs $300,000 a year to get the program started. He declined to say how much has been committed so far.
As a public agency, Energy Northwest can’t contribute cash but is offering internships and its staff members as instructors.
“Businesses have a responsibility to educate workers too. It’s really a business investment,” Parrish said.
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