At Power Plants
On the Grid
Commercial and Residential Applications
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| At Power Plant |
Technicians jobs at power plants mainly require 2 years degrees and are some the highest paying positions for 2 year degrees. Thanks to retirement, attrition, and growth in the energy industry, trained technicians will be in high demand for the next two decades. These jobs include:
Maintenance Technicians
Mechanical technicians Perform preventive, corrective and special maintenance on systems, components and structural facilities to ensure the reliability of a nuclear power plant. The median salary is $66,581.
Electrical technicians
Maintain and repair highly complex electrical/electronic equipment required for a nuclear plant. Responsibilities include troubleshooting, testing, and inspecting equipment. The median salary is $67,517. |
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Instrumentation & control technicians
Calibrate, test, troubleshoot, rework, modify and inspect nuclear plant instrumentation and control components and systems. The median salary is $72,238. |
| Operators
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Non-licensed operator
Support the reactor operators and senior reactor operators. Duties include opening and closing valves, electrical breakers, and other devices, as well as directly monitoring plant equipment performance. Operators work in shifts. The median salary is $70,793. |
Reactor operator
Operate reactor controls in cooperation with the control room team. The reactor operator moves control rods, starts and stops equipment, implements operations procedures, conducts surveillance tests, and records plant data. The median salary is $77,782. |
| Radiation Protection Personnel (specific to nuclear power plants)
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Radiation protection technicians
Measure and record radiation levels to ensure they are within low federal limits. In addition, they service and calibrate radiation protection instruments and equipment. They play a vital role in ensuring the safety of employees working in radiation areas as well as ensuring the facility’s compliance with radiation requirements. The median salary is $69,056. |
Chemistry Personnel (specific to nuclear power plants)
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Chemistry technician
Measure and record plant chemistry and radioactivity levels and operate chemical and radiochemical instrumentation and equipment. The median salary is $70,990.
New construction depending on the design, number of reactors and staffing strategy, will add an additional 14,000 to 24,000 new workers by the year 2030. This translates to ~ 13,000 new technician positions over the next 20 years.
In short, 15,000 trained technicians are needed by 2013 and 40,000 by the year 2030. Current workforce development in infrastructure detailed below has the capacity to produce approximately half of this projected need.
Not only is the infrastructure not present to hit this demand but there will be fierce competition outside the United States in the nuclear energy industry for these technicians. |
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| On the Grid |
Traditional transmission and distribution positions include line workers, sub-station attendants, and meter readers.
However, a whole new breed of workers will be needed in our nation’s convergence to a smart gird. This will include technicians for installation, support, implementation, cyber security, and quality assurance.
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Learn more about line worker programs here.
Learn more about smart grid jobs here.
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| Commercial and Residential Applications |
The transition to clean, renewable, efficient energy across the United States has spawned a slew of small business and entrepreneurial opportunities including:
Solar Installers – Thermal ***
Solar Installers – PV ****
Energy Efficiency Experts – Commercial
Energy Efficiency Experts – Residential
Geothermal |
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| **** Classes offered at IRSC |
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