SAFEGUARDS EDUCATION AND TRAINING: SHORT TERM SUPPLY versus DEMAND

Much has been published in the past five years about the aging nuclear workforce, and the impact that the loss of irreplaceable retirees will have on the nuclear safeguards industry. This paper explores the nuclear safeguards staffing needs that the Department of Energy (DOE), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and its contractors and licensees will encounter over the next ten to fifteen years. This review of the domestic safeguards workforce will also indicate the areas and subjects in which additional training and education may be needed. The paper discusses the education characteristics of nuclear material control and accounting (MC&A) experts, the projected growth or decline of safeguards areas within the NRC and DOE environments, the extent to which safeguards and nonproliferation are emphasized in university nuclear programs, and other facets of the supply side of the nuclear safeguards workforce. Additionally, the current training and education programs available to safeguards personnel will be examined to determine how well they align with the predicted needs of the next generation of safeguards personnel. Recommendations will be made regarding a path forward to determining, based on more extensive research and statistical analysis, what kind of demand to expect for nuclear safeguards experts, and how well the education and training programs will be able to meet that need.