In October 2023 the Nuclear Energy Institute published the Nuclear Industry Workforce Strategic Plan (WSP). Since its release the U.S. Women in Nuclear (U.S. WIN) organization has been hard at work, formulating a plan on how we do our part.
With the commitment to nuclear energy from 22 countries at COP28 and enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act among other key legislation, significant federal investment is being made to set the stage for the U.S. to meet its decarbonization goals. The U.S. nuclear energy industry faces significant headwinds in both attracting and retaining sufficient qualified workers to meet the current and future needs of the industry.
To drive awareness and action on the topic of nuclear workforce, U.S. WIN hosted a panel at the Power Generation Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. This panel was facilitated and organized by Dr. Betsy Brunner of Idaho National Laboratory, who gathered a group of remarkable women to provide their insights into this topic. Executive Advisor and Chief Nuclear Officer of Entergy Kimberly Cook-Nelson led an impactful and memorable discussion with:
- WiN Global board member Jhansi Kandasamy,
- U.S. WIN Professional Development Committee Vice Chair Nicole Hughes,
- U.S. WIN member and Vice President of Member & Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer of Nuclear Energy Insitute Erin Hulman, and
- U.S. Women in Nuclear member and Board member of Allied Power Kara McCullough.
These four expert panelists addressed the situation from three key angles: readiness, recruitment, and retention. I encourage our U.S. WIN members and industry partners (The Atomic Allies) to embrace the challenge at our feet, become more informed on the tactical ways you can make a difference and empower others to do the same.
“The industry has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead the clean energy transition.”
