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Partnership for Nuclear Energy

ORAU has launched a new initiative to address a critical national need toward accelerating and increasing STEM credentials in the nuclear energy industry. The Partnership for Nuclear Energy brings together leading nuclear energy experts to form a comprehensive think tank consisting of leading universities, community colleges and technical skill training organizations, industries producing nuclear reactors large and small, professional industry organizations, national research laboratories, and government agencies. 

The primary goal is to develop a set of comprehensive solutions that address and correct STEM shortfalls, whether they exist at the national policy and programmatic levels, within education and training initiatives, and/or federal and private industry investments. This collaborative approach is essential to bridge the gaps and drive collective action and ensure a more comprehensive and sustainable clean energy strategy. 

As our nation's leadership and global standing in STEM fields and industries face erosion, it is imperative to acknowledge that foreign countries, whether allies or competitors, have not only closed the STEM gap but have also surpassed us in certain areas. These concerning trends demand a concerted effort to reverse and restore America's prominence in STEM. Furthermore, with the nation's future moving towards clean energy, the need for reliable, cost-effective, and clean energy sources is paramount. Nuclear energy, as a constant and reliable power source, plays a crucial role in this transition, providing clean, reliable, and secure energy that is essential for our future.

However, the U.S. nuclear energy industry faces significant challenges in attracting and retaining a qualified workforce due to retirements, retention issues, inflation, shifting demographics, and other factors. This underscores the urgent need to address these workforce challenges and strengthen nuclear science and technology. By bringing together public-private partners, the Partnership for Nuclear Energy seeks to holistically address career awareness, training, recruitment, and retention issues across all organizations involved in the nuclear energy sector to advance the goals of the nuclear energy industry. 

The primary purpose of the Partnership for Nuclear Energy is to develop comprehensive solutions that address critical challenges in the nuclear sector. Specific initiatives include:

  1. Move from individual efforts to advance STEM and the industry, to a comprehensive set of actions and recommendations to accelerate positive change.
  2. Unite and mobilize leaders and thinkers from diverse sectors across the nuclear energy field.
  3. Create a collaborative environment that fosters knowledge sharing and collective action.
  4. Develop a comprehensive solution set to address critical challenges and opportunities in the nuclear sector, particularly in education, training, and workforce capacity.
Partnership for Nuclear Energy graphic

The goals of the Partnership for Nuclear Energy are designed to address critical challenges in the nuclear energy sector and promote collaboration among various stakeholders. Strategic goals include:

  1. Strengthening America’s global leadership in nuclear to address critical challenges in education, training and workforce capacity.
  2. Addressing workforce challenges in the nuclear energy industry by developing comprehensive solution sets and implementation plans.
  3. Promoting clean and reliable energy by addressing workforce challenges in the nuclear energy sector.
  4. Fostering public-private partnerships in the nuclear sector by bridging the gaps between organizations and encouraging knowledge sharing and collective action.
  5. Demonstrating impactful solutions that improve the effectiveness of government.

The ultimate outcome is to deliver a comprehensive solution set that addresses U.S. national requirements, policy, proposed programs, training, education, research, and funding to advance the capacity and workforce of the nuclear energy industry. This comprehensive solution set will provide recommendations in five distinct areas (potentially more as necessary): 

  • Solution 1: National Strategies
  • Solution 2: Local/Regional Strategies and Action-Oriented Pilots
  • Solution 3Education/Training/Certification Programs and Standardization
  • Solution 4Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing Initiatives
  • Solution 5: Advocacy and Policy Recommendations

Measures of impact

The effectiveness and significance of the Partnership for Nuclear Energy will be evaluated by using key performance indicators that align with the goals and purpose of the collaboration. The Partnership for Nuclear Energy will determine annual performance metrics, which will demonstrate the value to the participating stakeholders.

Partnership for Nuclear Energy impact graphic

Get involved!

The target for completing this first effort is 12 months, with a goal of outcomes and deliverables completed by February 2025. 

Participation in the Partnership for Nuclear Energy will be instrumental in shaping the future of STEM and nuclear energy in the United States. We eagerly look forward to organizing and leading this collaborative initiative building and strengthening our STEM capabilities. 

If you have any questions about the Partnership for Nuclear Energy, please contact Olivia M. Blackmon, Ph.D., at Olivia.Blackmon@orau.org or Ken Tobin, Ph.D., at Ken.Tobin@orau.org.

Impact Areas

Nuclear Energy Academic Institutions

Our partners

Organization Name
Accelerant Technologies National Nuclear Security Administration
American Nuclear Society North Carolina State University
Argonne National Laboratory Nuclear Energy Institute
Bismarck State College Nuclear Regulatory Commission
CNS/Y-12 National Security Complex Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Columbia Basin College Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Constellation Energy Pellissippi State Community College
Denmark Community College Purdue University
Department of Energy - Office of Nuclear Energy Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Dominion Energy Roane State Community College
Duke Energy South Carolina State University
East Tennessee Economic Council Southern Company
Electric Power Research Institute Tennessee Tech University
Entergy Tennessee Valley Authority
Excelsior University Terra Power
Georgia Institute of Technology Texas A&M University
Idaho National Laboratory University of California - Berkeley
Idaho State University University of Florida
Indian River State Community College University of Michigan
Institute of Nuclear Materials Management University of Missouri
Institute of Nuclear Power Operations University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Ivy Community College University of Wisconsin - Madison
Kairos Power U.S. Navy Nuclear Power School
Los Alamos National Laboratory Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium
National Institute for Standards Technology Westinghouse Electric Company

ORAU co-authored white paper focuses on modernizing training for the nuclear energy industry

A newly released white paper, titled Modernizing Training in the Nuclear Power Sector (.PDF, 6.5 MB), focuses on the need to modernize training in the nuclear energy industry to meet the changing needs and increased demands in this important sector of the U.S. economy.

The white paper was written as a companion to the Nuclear Energy Institute’s 2023 Nuclear Energy Industry Workforce Strategic Plan, which identified training and qualification as a key workforce challenge for the nuclear energy industry and noted that training is undergoing a transformation away from traditional classroom learning and to new modalities and styles of education.

Nuclear power plant cooling towers

Contact us

For more information about ORAU STEM Accelerator, contact Liv Blackmon at olivia.blackmon@orau.org.