Due to growth, an aging workforce, international competition, and natural attrition the nuclear industry in the United States is experiencing unprecedented workforce demands. Specifically, over the next two decades, nuclear workforce needs will exceed the current pool of trained personnel. Current training platforms are not scaled to meet this need which puts both the industry and our nation at risk. In August of 2011, NSF established the Regional Center for Nuclear Education and Training (RCNET), and the Advanced Technology Education (ATE) program to address these workforce demands in a unified and systematic way.

RCNET is located at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, FL and is a consortium of 46 colleges and universities, 35 industry partners, and multiple agency and other partners.

RCNET’s primary focus is on two-year college training and it involves partnerships between academic institutions and employers to promote improvement in the education of nuclear technicians at the undergraduate and secondary school levels. RCNET is also responsible for curriculum development, professional development of college faculty and secondary school teachers, career pathways to two-year colleges from secondary schools and from two-year colleges to four-year institutions, and providing standardized quality resources to schools across the region.