Join us on Amelia Island!

The Conference on Nuclear Training and Education is more than an invitation to a meeting, lecture, or video. CONTE 2023 is part of the incredible next steps in providing a safe, reliable source for our clean energy economy.

This conference comes at a crucial time on every front for America’s nuclear industry and education. Learning methods, systems, and technologies are rapidly transforming before our eyes to allow learning to take place essentially anywhere the learner may be and in a delivery format that they may choose. Almost every higher educational learning institution is offering the ability to take courses remotely using flexible scheduling, with materials that are easily accessible, eliminating the need to carry a book bag or notes from location to location. Virtual learning environments allow students to experience being in-field task performance in a safe environment without being exposed to radiological or industrial safety hazards of a complex nuclear plant while learning.

But there is more at stake than advances in training and education: We have a strong call to act to sustain the safe, reliable, and vital role nuclear power plays in the future of environmentally friendly energy. We have a duty to act on our energy future for the security of our planet, our country, our families, and the future of our children and their children. In support of these goals, it is exciting to see that the nuclear industry in the United States is growing for the first time in quite a long time. Two new large reactors, Vogtle 3 and 4, are scheduled to begin operation within 18 months. This will be the first new nuclear generation brought online in over 30 years. What an incredible milestone to achieve! At the same time, several stations have applied and received operating license extensions for an additional 20 years, clearing the way for 80 years of operation for these units. Several companies are looking out on the horizon to develop plans for the construction and operation of small modular reactors (SMRs) with enhanced safety and security features. These SMRs require a much smaller capital investment to build, may be more easily cited, and provide greater flexibility due to the scalability of the newer technologies. The future is bright for the nuclear industry in the U.S. again.

Our safe and secure society, economy, and futures are linked directly to these exciting opportunities. Nuclear energy plays a critical role today and in the future. Every clean energy plan includes a high reliance on nuclear to reach set decarbonization goals. And this requires sustaining a highly skilled workforce today and building the workforce of tomorrow with skill sets to deliver the new nuclear future.

CONTE 2023: “Maintaining Excellence Today – Building the Nuclear Workforce for Tomorrow!”