Oak Ridge Community Roundtable Hones in on Future Hiring for Cleanup

Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Manager Jay Mullis, center left, breaks down demographics of the current Oak Ridge workforce and discusses skills needed in the years ahead to advance cleanup at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - Federal and contractor officials, community leaders and top educators gathered last week for a roundtable event focused on ensuring the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and its partners have the resources and infrastructure needed to support a robust, talented workforce in the years ahead.

The event marked the fourth such workforce development meeting at a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) site since 2022. Previous workshops took place at EM's Los Alamos, Savannah River and Hanford sites. Another event is planned for EM's Idaho Cleanup Project next year.

The initiative originated from discussions with the Energy Communities Alliance that underscored the importance of documenting future hiring needs and attracting potential employees to the communities near EM sites. The alliance is an organization that brings together local government officials in DOE-impacted communities to share information, establish policy positions and advocate community interests to effectively address an increasingly complex set of environmental, regulatory and economic development needs.

"When we first started this conversation, only 1% of the federal workforce at EM headquarters was under the age of 30," said Kristen Ellis, EM's associate principal deputy assistant secretary for regulatory and policy affairs.

Wes Hines, third from left, retired head of the University of Tennessee's nuclear engineer department, speaks about the growth of students in the nuclear field and the demand for them in the nuclear industry.

Events like this are helping EM identify and remove impediments as the program works to expand its workforce as a large percentage of employees approach retirement eligibility.

As experts, panelists and participants at the event shared their perspectives on good practices to boost hiring, they also raised awareness of some of the lesser-known challenges related to attracting employees.

"We have 70 miles of greenways, a beautiful city, great shopping, great restaurants and some of the best schools in the country, but you heard today the thing that we lack is housing," said Randy Hemann, Oak Ridge city manager. "If we get the housing stock, we'll get the people. They want to live here."

Oak Ridge City Manager Randy Hemann discusses the city's challenges and how they impact U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management planning.

OREM, cleanup contractor UCOR and labor representatives kicked off the discussion by sharing the skills and competencies needed to maintain a workforce of more than 2,500 employees to advance Oak Ridge's cleanup mission.

Then, the spotlight shifted to education. Partners representing K-12, community colleges and four-year institutions took to the microphone to discuss today's classrooms and the most successful approaches to engage students.

"We use the phrase, 'Our students can't be what they can't see.' We need to know what's out there and what's available so we can develop those pathways," said Bruce Borchers, superintendent of Oak Ridge schools. "We have invited industry partners in for conversations about what are the jobs they need, and how can we provide a pathway."

OREM and its counterparts are among those partners, and the lesson is clear that outreach needs to begin early to catch the attention of students.

Hemann told the roundtable participants that more conversations as a community are needed to solve the problems.

"I'm happy to see DOE working in that manner and listening and bringing out these conversations in communities," he said.

-Contributor: Ben Williams