Navy and nuclear industry sign deal to fight workers shortage

Sep 4 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Patrick O'Shea Beaver County Times, Pa.

The nuclear industry long has drawn employees from the U.S. Navy, so it makes sense that companies would look to the Navy again as the industry faces an impending shortage of skilled workers.

The Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, which operates a large fleet of nuclear-powered submarines and ships, and more than 30 civilian nuclear energy companies recently signed an agreement that will assist in the recruitment of Navy veterans qualified to work in the field.

The Nuclear Energy Institute trade group has estimated that the industry will have to hire 25,000 more workers over the next four years to replace retirees and find new workers to staff plants now under construction in the southeast.

Under the agreement, nuclear-trained Navy personnel ending their active-duty commitment have the option of having their contact information forwarded to industry recruiters for companies participating in the program. And Navy recruiters will have access to the names of those enrolled in industry-training programs at about 40 community colleges across the nation

"The beauty of this agreement is that it provides multi-avenue flow for training the next generation of nuclear workers, who can gain the skills and experience needed through formal education in or out of the military, on-the-job training or both that ensures a bright future in a growing industry," said Tony Pietrangelo, NEI senior vice president and chief nuclear officer.

Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy Corp., which owns and operates the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station in Shippingport, is one of the companies participating in the program.

FirstEnergy's Jennifer Young said the average age of the approximately 1,000 workers at the Shippingport plant is 49. Nuclear industry employees can retire as young as 55.

Young said there is no way to predict how many openings the facility will have over the next few years, but she noted that the company has seen more retirements over the last few years and 2012 already has a higher retirement rate than 2011.

Young said recruiting from the Navy is just one recruitment tool used by FirstEnergy, which also draws from related four-year and two-year college programs, but she said the former Navy workers come in already familiar with the technology and rigors involved in the industry.

Young said FirstEnergy is being proactive about bringing in workers in all its areas, not just nuclear engineering. She said they also will need replacements in construction personnel, industrial safety workers and accountants, among other jobs.

And its all about "replacing sooner than later," Young said, because that gives the company time to properly train them and allow them to interact with the veterans they eventually will replace.

"There is no better experience than training with veterans who can mentor them at the plant," she said.