Nuclear tech job training program restarts

Some program participants will be eligible for free tuition and books.

Terra said last week it planned to have representatives from the college explain the application process and financial aid opportunities.

Richard Wilkins, FirstEnergy spokesman, said Terra's effort is the "resurrection of a program that was started in the mid 1970s before Davis-Besse came online."

The plant has been operating since the spring of 1977.

Cross-training in a number of disciplines will be provided, including mechanical and electrical work.

The Terra program will be similar to one in which FirstEnergy collaborates with Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio.

Students from that program are trained for skilled technical jobs at the utility's Perry nuclear plant, east of Cleveland.

"We're working with (Terra and Lakeland) so they understand the kind of knowledge and skills we need," Mr. Wilkins said.

Depending on the pool of applicants, FirstEnergy might make a total of "20 to 30" scholarships available, he said.

FirstEnergy, like other utilities, faces the challenges of an aging workforce.

Available young talent has not kept pace with retirements, in part, because of nuclear energy's uncertain future.

The industry is hoping for a revival, given the nation's energy needs and global concerns about climate change.

No new plants have been authorized for construction since the late 1970s.

But many, including Davis-Besse, hope to get their 40-year operating licenses extended by 20 years.

FirstEnergy will try to put program graduates into jobs after those students obtain their two-year associate's degrees from their respective community colleges.

Participants likely will get an internship during their second year.

The utility wants to eventually get the programs standardized enough for graduates to find work at other nuclear plants if jobs aren't immediately available through FirstEnergy, Mr. Wilkins said.

Davis-Besse employs nearly 700 people.