This year, UCOR graduated its fifth class of survey technicians. These 14 individuals went through a five-week program, providing them the opportunity to embark on a career in Radiological Protection (RP) as survey technicians. In response to the shortage of Radiological Protection Technicians (RPTs) available for hire, UCOR established this program in 2020 to equip individuals without a formal education or experience to meet DOE RPT standards.
This comprehensive program trains and prepares students for a career in RP by delivering essential academic training in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and science. Additionally, participants become accustomed to UCOR’s culture, practices, and procedures.
Through this program, students have to earn the Fundamental Academic Training (the Core) and the Site Academic training to officially become survey technicians and start their careers in RP.
Through integral partnership with Roane State Community College (RSCC), this year’s survey tech class started the program a little differently. RSCC integrated the DOE fundamental academic training materials into their curriculum under the Environmental Health Technology associate’s degree. With students already meeting this requirement, they were able to be deployed into the field a month earlier than previous survey tech classes.
This new survey technician class illustrates how UCOR’s partnerships are enriching the pipeline for the next generation and is the beginning of efforts to integrate students into our RP program and deploy them into the field sooner.
