According to a July announcement from Gov. Peter Shumlin, his office will be working to promote job opportunity in Vermont to encourage Vermonters to come back to the area to work, or consider staying here to work.
Promoting job opportunities at Vermont Yankee would be a good place to start.
With more than 600 full-time employees, Vermont Yankee is the second-largest employer in Windham County and has remained a steady employer through the recessions of the last decade.
According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, the U.S. nuclear industry will be replacing 25,000 retiring nuclear workers by 2015. This number is based on demographic data collected in 2011.
These jobs include all types of employees: engineers, operators, security personnel, maintenance employees, and technicians. This is a huge opportunity for Vermont to attract young, professional employees to the area.
My job in the public affairs department at Vermont Yankee has kept me in the area. Vermont Yankee is a great place to work, and I enjoy living close by.
If I didn't have work at Vermont Yankee, I would certainly relocate, since with limited business growth in Windham County, I likely wouldn't find other work in here.
If the governor is concerned about job opportunities in Vermont, he can hope that Vermont Yankee will continue operating and continue to attract young professionals like me and many of my co-workers at VY in the next few years.