November 2012, Volume 16, Number 5

Powerful Partnerships

MDC grads
These recent graduates of MDC's Clean Energy Institute were immediately placed in jobs at FPL.

Powered Up for Success

Fifteen Miami Dade College Clean Energy Institute graduates have been hired by Florida Power & Light, bringing their skills to an industry that needs and values a well-trained workforce.

At a recent ceremony for the newly hired employees, FPL also recognized three workers from the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant who took MDC courses to enhance their knowledge and their careers.

“This is the lifeline of the future of nuclear power in South Florida,” said Kevin O’Hare, the plant’s maintenance planning manager. “Our nation is facing a critical shortage of energy and nuclear skilled workers. About a third of our workforce is set to retire in the very near future.”

Exceptional Expertise

The program, which has a waiting list of applicants, was developed by MDC and the electrical utility in partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) for maintenance positions at the plant. MDC was one of the first schools to offer Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program certification, which verifies that students have completed the first two years of a three-year apprenticeship program and qualifies them to work at any nuclear plant in the country, said Dr. Richard White, director of MDC’s School of Engineering and Technology.

“It’s a specialized program,” he said of the two years of study that include power plant operations, technology and hands-on experience in a paid summer internship at Turkey Point that concludes with an Associate in Science degree. The new hires will work full time at Turkey Point or an FPL substation. In the MDC program, IBEW experts give students an in-depth look at how their jobs are done. FPL also provides equipment so students work with real-world instruments, White said.

Career Advancement

Since the program began in 2006, 94 graduates – 70 MDC students and 24 FPL employees – have been hired or advanced by the utility.

The partnership “really gives us support for the development of our workforce,” O’Hare said. “They’re doing a great job for us here at the plant.”

FPL gets well-trained workers with strong ties to the community, and the students get great jobs, he said.

— Staff Report


More Powerful Partnerships Articles

Miami Dade College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate and baccalaureate degrees.
Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Miami Dade College.
Miami Dade College is an equal access/equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, marital status, age, religion, national origin,
disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, or genetic information. Contact the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs/ADA Coordinator, at 305.237.2577 for information.