PPPL's Apprenticeship Program - Training the Next Generation of Technicians

PPPL's growth and success depends on our ability to develop, recruit, and retain a diverse staff who reflect our community and the nation. PPPL currently runs a variety of workforce development programs to educate the next generation of scientists and engineers however, until recently, we had not focused on our technical workforce which is also aging rapidly and essential for the successful delivery of our scientific missions. In response, PPPL started a USDOL registered apprenticeship program in 2019 focused on attracting a diverse pool of technicians into fusion energy and plasma sciences. Apprenticeships have been a reliable pathway for training workers for good jobs and allowing them to earn while they learn. Recently, there has been a renewed focus on apprenticeships at both the federal and state level. The skills needed to build complex machines (e.g. tokamak) are different from a typical apprenticeship program, but apply to many high-tech industries. Over 4 years, our participants spend 8000 hours training in their speciality and 576 hours in the classroom. We currently have apprenticeships in mechanical and electrical technician, electronics, welding, machinist, IT generalist/cybersecurity, and HVAC.