BWXT plans to train employees through Northeast State program

Northeast State Community College's chemical operator program has been available to advanced manufacturing employers in the region for nearly 20 years. The program offers customizable training to employers for existing employees who work with chemical operations. "When we work with an employer they tell us, 'Hey we need these folks trained in this many skills sets in this length of time,'" said Holly Free-Ollard, vice president at Northeast State. "That's what makes our programs very flexible." She said the flexibility the program offers allows participants to keep their jobs and continue with everyday life without disruptions. The program takes place at Northeast State's Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing (RCAM) in Kingsport. Free-Ollard also said instructors can come onsite to train employees if an employer requests. The chemical operator program has around two dozen instructors, she said. "The RCAM laboratories provide faculty the space to teach the chemical distillation process to apprentices and students," according to a press release. "For example, the chemical ethanol reaches a lower boiling point than water making it easier to separate and capture during the distillation process. Two products can be made within a column depending on the distillation process and chemicals being sought to capture." Free-Ollard said the program is financially supported through federal and state grants. She said employers pay for their employees to undergo the program, and Northeast State works with the employers to offer the program at a reasonable price. Free-Ollard, Rep. Rebecca Alexander, Washington County Mayor Joe Grandy and BWX Technologies Jonesborough Manager Jon Hagemann visited the Accelerated Training and Defense Manufacturing School in Virginia in September of last year. Free-Ollard said the reason for the visit was to see how the school operates in comparison to the chemical operator program offered at Northeast State. "We got back and understood what skills, competencies and capabilities they were trying to develop and we already do that," Northeast State President Jeff McCord said. McCord said it is not out of the ordinary for Northeast State students to visit schools that are offering similar programs as the institution. "They have a model and we have a model," McCord said. "After talking with employers, they appreciate our model." Employer partnerships with Northeast State include Eastman Chemical Company, BWXT and Domtar. "BWXT has partnered with Northeast State for a number of years through the maintenance mechanic apprenticeship program," Jeff Meredith, BWXT training unit manager at Nuclear Fuel Services, said in an email statement. "Earlier this year, we expanded our collaboration by engaging with RCAM's established chemical operator program." Meredith said eight employees have been enrolled in the program to help establish a strong baseline in chemical operations. He said any new nuclear process operators are sent through the program. BWXT uses curriculum from RCAM's chemical operator program, which includes courses such as Introduction to Chemical Manufacturing, Equipment and Instrumentation, Meredith said. "Participants also complete hands-on lab sessions focused on industrial skills, valves, piping, pumps, instrumentation and controls." McCord and Free-Ollard said plans to use this program to train BWXT employees at its Jonesborough site to work with high purity depleted uranium (HPDU) have been discussed. "BWXT does plan to use RCAM's programs to train employees to work with HPDU," Meredith said. "Training will occur prior to working with HPDU, and additional details will be communicated as timelines are finalized." He said Northeast State's program is BWXT's primary and only training provider for employees. "Without access to this program, we would need to provide all baseline chemical operations instruction internally, requiring additional time and resources to establish similar coursework and hands‑on lab experiences," Meredith said.