(NYT) Business of Green - The New Jobs in Atomic Energy

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HOW often does a high school principal pull aside a college-bound student and suggest he attend a two-year community college instead? That’s just what happened to Brian Moreno, a standout math student in El Campo, Tex., who planned to enroll at Texas A&M. Mr. Moreno pondered the unconventional advice and followed it, enrolling in nearby Bay City for a two-year degree as a nuclear power technician.

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In the Bay City area of South Texas — and in growing numbers of community colleges and universities — students are preparing for the jobs boom predicted for America’s nuclear power industry. The South Texas Project in Bay City operates two nuclear plants and plans to begin construction on two more in 2012, making it one of the hot spots in the nation’s nuclear revival. For the young workers, the promise is a stable career with excellent pay. They start at more than $50,000 in an apprentice program, and skilled technicians and operators with years of experience can make $80,000 or more. Nuclear engineers with four-year degrees can earn six-figure salaries.

But the appeal is broader, as well. “We tell these young people, and they understand, that they are becoming part of something important,” said Clarence Fenner, the work force development coordinator for the South Texas Project, a Bay City councilman and a former first sergeant in the Army. “This nuclear renaissance is important for our community, our state and our country. It’s not just a job.”

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Recognizing the looming skills shortage, the nuclear institute has worked with utilities and colleges to set up 52 partnerships with community colleges across the country to train nuclear technicians. The program in Bay City, housed in a converted Kmart discount store, was among the first, opening in 2008.

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For the early entrants in the new nuclear work force, the self-interest is more immediate and personal. They talk of being able to pay bills, enjoy a few restaurant meals and realistically think about buying a home. They are talking about the rewards of good middle-class jobs, the kind that used to exist in large numbers in manufacturing in places like Detroit and Cleveland. And a nuclear power plant is a just a giant factory, producing energy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/business/energy-environment/22TECH.html?pagewanted=1&src=busln