November 11, 2011 Colleen Luckett
The nuclear disaster in Japan has left the whole world reeling when it comes to the safety (or lack thereof) of nuclear power. It has had our politicians scrambling and our news media in a flurry of hyped up charges against nuclear power, now deemed the “bad boy” of the energy world. But did you know, according to studies by the World Health Organization and a European study called Externe, for each person killed by nuclear power generation, 4,000 people die from coal? [source: http://www.the9billion.com/2011/03/24/death-rate-from-nuclear-power-vs-coal/]
This amazing statistic really exposes the power (no pun intended) of the coal industry’s marketing campaign.
Here at CAEL we have a different view of nuclear power, thanks to the Energy Providers Coalition for Education (EPCE), one of the industry coalitions we facilitate. EPCE, made up of industry representatives and accredited education providers, facilitates fundamental online curriculum and training for the energy workforce. One EPCE-sponsored online degree is the Associate of Applied Science in Nuclear Power Technology through Bismarck State College. The degree was recently approved by the Nuclear Energy Institute’s (NEI) Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program for the non-licensed operator track, which makes this the first ever online program to align with the NUCP.
What does this mean, specifically? It means that now is the time more than ever to get into nuclear power, as we look for alternative sources to coal—and with this degree, students can feel confident they are getting the very best , standardized industry-approved and -sponsored education in order to land that nuclear job.
"The most important benefit of the new NUCP provision is that it allows prospective students and employees greater access to nuclear training," said John Lindsey, director, Fleet Support & Partnerships, Nuclear Training at Exelon Nuclear and member of the NUCP Ad Hoc Committee at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations. "The online format is beneficial for those who live far from a plant and want to work at one, and also for those who are already busy with their current lives and would like to continue their education; this fits their needs and schedules."
Not convinced yet? Check out this statistic: according to the NEI, the median salary for a non-licensed operator is nearly $71,000 per year. In nuclear, it only goes up from there. If money talks, it’s talkin’ a good game here.
To learn more about all EPCE’s online energy degrees, check out this program overview map at the EPCE website.