The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory hosted the Regional Energy Training Center, RETC, Symposium, from February 24 to 28, bringing together experts from across the globe to discuss nuclear workforce development, training strategies and stakeholder engagement. The symposium was coordinated as part of the DOE Office of International Nuclear Energy Policy and Cooperation efforts to launch Regional Energy Training Centers in new-to-nuclear countries.
Throughout the week, representatives from Ghana, Poland and the United Arab Emirates shared insights into their countries’ burgeoning nuclear energy initiatives and attended sessions on systematic approaches to training, as well as curriculum development and communication strategies. American Nuclear Society President Lisa Marshall spoke on communication and implementation in dynamic environments, in addition to speakers from the across ORNL, as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency, Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee, and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
“This symposium showcased the power of international collaboration in building a highly skilled nuclear workforce,” said Andrew Worrall, the event’s host and director of Nuclear Energy Programs within ORNL’s Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division. “By sharing successes and challenges, we are strengthening the foundation for the next generation of nuclear professionals.”
At the end of the week, each country’s delegation presented an overview of their 2025-2026 priorities for the RETC’s program. Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Cooperation Aleshia Duncan provided closing remarks before the group headed out for tours of ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor, the historic Graphite Reactor and the Frontier supercomputer.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.
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