$10 billion nuclear investment applies pressure to East Tennessee’s workforce pipeline
Demand for some categories of nuclear energy workers outpaces Tennessee’s current training pipelines, according to the East Tennessee Nuclear Workforce Demand Assessment, released by ORAU.
East Tennessee’s nuclear expansion is creating jobs faster than the region can train people to fill them.
That’s the central finding of the East Tennessee Nuclear Workforce Demand Assessment, released by ORAU. According to the report, demand for chemical plant and systems operators, nuclear reactor operators, production and operations supervisors and power plant operators is outpacing existing education and training pipelines.
The stakes are big and growing as private companies have pledged more than $10 billion to nuclear buildouts in the region.
“Ten years ago, we never would have dreamed about $10 billion coming into the environment,” said Michelle Goodson, ORAU senior director of strategic growth and partnerships and the report’s author. “Now, we’re thinking – how many jobs will that create? And the answer is tens of thousands.”
A conservative count
Among the 14 companies surveyed, Tennessee’s nuclear workforce totals about 17,000 workers today. That number is projected to peak at about 21,000 by 2032, with demand for operations climbing through 2035.
Goodson said the real figure is higher… potentially much higher considering the regional supply chain needs.
The numbers in the study only reflect the large organizations responsible for major projects. Due to competitive confidentiality, the specific companies and their projected economic impact are not named in the report.
Additionally, the findings do not represent positions filled by technical staffing firms, several of which have supported Oak Ridge for decades.
“Our goal with this report was to get down into the labor categories and figure out where we need to focus our education, training, and pipelines so we can support the mission,” Goodson said.
Where the gaps are
According to ORAU, chemical operators top the list of technician roles to address first.
Goodson said Oak Ridge is uniquely home to every stage of the nuclear fuel cycle, with the exception of mining and long-term storage. Therefore, much of the regional work centers around chemical operators.
The need for tradesmen and women is a close second. Goodson pointed to a high need for electricians, along with nuclear welders, pipefitters and other specialty trades needed to finish the construction builds.
She said capacity is the real regional bottleneck.
“Practically, we need to find people who can teach good, new electricians,” Goodson said. “Thanks to our community and technical colleges, we have established those pathways, but we need people who can step in and teach the next generation.”
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local Chapter 270, is an example of an organization that identified this gap and took action steps to fill it. They recently opened a new apprenticeship training center in Oak Ridge.
Roane State Community College, Pellissippi State Community College, and the Tennessee Board of Regents are actively building programs around employer requirements, so graduates are ready to work on day one.
“Thankfully, we’re not starting from scratch like many other places around the country,” Goodson said.
Bill Tindal, director of the Tennessee Nuclear Network (TN²), said in ORAU’s press release that the pace of the region’s nuclear growth depends on the pace of its training.
“This study underscores a critical reality: the timeline for deploying advanced nuclear technologies is fundamentally tethered to the velocity of our talent pipeline,” Tindal said.
The ‘Secret City’ can no longer be a secret
Goodson said awareness matters just as much as training capacity. Many residents know Oak Ridge’s nuclear history as the “Secret City,” which dates back more than 80 years to World War II.
However, fewer people know how to land one of the jobs being created now.
Goodson said that narrative has to change.
“We can’t be secret any longer,” she said. “These are great jobs – we have to shout from the rooftops.”
She said that in addition to engineering and technical roles, the nuclear renaissance will also create HR, accounting, marketing and management roles, which in turn lift housing, hospitality and other supporting industries.
Goodson said outreach needs to reach everyone from K-12 students to adults looking to upskill or reskill.
That effort includes recognizing “folks who are in an adjacent market and want to change but don’t know how,” she said. “We need to support those folks.”
What comes next for Tennessee’s nuclear workforce conversation?
The report made four recommendations:
- Strengthen the Tennessee Nuclear Fund’s data-based portfolio strategy to direct workforce investment where it’s needed most
- Expand the assessment to more employers
- Conduct a full statewide workforce supply study
- Invest in training capacity for the occupations most at risk of a shortfall.
Goodson said, in many ways, the research confirmed what industry partners already suspected.
However, something that continues to stand out to her, and other colleagues in the Tennessee Nuclear Network, is how closely companies and organizations are willing to work together to solve the gaps.
“People are sharing ideas and resources, which is so comforting,” Goodson said. “That’s pretty unique to our area, because although everybody’s got to look out for their own bottom line, there’s such a high level of cooperation.”
Despite the big number of positions to fill, Goodson feels confident Tennessee can meet the mark.
“There’s a lot of great promise that’s coming to Tennessee,” Goodson said, “and I really believe we’re going to deliver.”
Read the full East Tennessee Nuclear Workforce Demand Assessment.
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