30 percent of the employees at FirstEnergy's Perry Nuclear Power Plant are 50 years or older. The need to train a new generation of nuclear engineers and technicians is not unique to the Perry Plant. It is an industry problem with statistics indicating a need for 90,000 new employees over the next decade.

To help address this problem on a local level, the Perry Nuclear Power Plant and Lakeland established a 2-year associates degree in Nuclear Engineering Technology.

The technical course curriculum is designed to train students to become technicians in operations, mechanical maintenance, electrical maintenance, chemical laboratory, health physics, and instrumentation and control. The program also prepares students for employment as a maintenance technician in any manufacturing or production facility. Over 100 power plants exist in the United States and graduates of this program would be trained to work at any domestic nuclear power plant.

In addition to classroom studies, students spend 12 weeks in the summer working at the Perry Plant in a paid internship. Students will be paid $13-$15 per hour and the salary from this internship will essentially pay for the cost of the tuition and books for the entire program. Students will also earn 2 credit hours towards the completion of their degree. During the internship, students rotate through the plant's Maintenance, Operations, Radiation Protection and Chemistry departments. This gives the students an opportunity to see first hand the variety and nature of the different functions within a nuclear plant.

The Perry Nuclear Power Plant is part of the FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC), a wholly owned subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corporation. They also oversee the operations of the Davis-Besse, and Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Plants.

To be qualified for this degree program, students must pass a background check and drug test, which are coordinated through FENOC.

Degree Specifications
A total of 70 credit hours are completed consecutively over a 21-month (four-semester) period. This is a full-time day program. The program will prepare students for employment in selected areas within a nuclear power plant. The technical course curriculum is designed around direct specifications from the nuclear power industry. A summer-paid field experience is provided in cooperation with the Perry Nuclear Power Plant. | Program Curriculum |