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- Dave Nixon talks with Kirk Heinze
By Caitlin Cox
Dr. Dave Nixon is the President of Monroe County Community College. MCCC recently developed a new program in nuclear technology that provides more job opportunities than ever for its students.
In partnership with DTE, MCCC opened a solar energy production facility. The installation was last fall and the facility is already producing energy.
The partnership then developed into a nationally accredited curriculum and a 2 year associate degree program at Monroe County Community College due in part to DTE’s demand for nuclear techs.
“The program is providing an economic advantage for our students,” says Nixon. “Jobs here in Michigan and in other parts of the country are increasingly available to people with nuclear tech training.”
The demand for people well trained in nuclear technology is growing despite the reluctance among some for developing more nuclear power plants in the United States.
“People look at Japan and are skeptical about the negative effects of nuclear energy. We have a great interest in training students to take all necessary safety precautions," says Nixon.
Nixon says lessons learned from Japan have driven safety training and precautions and that we're better prepared to secure the future of nuclear plants.
“Students are first to know that based on all the data available out there, nuclear is going to be the longest lasting way of producing energy without using fossil fuels and also the cleanest.”
Graduates from the nuclear technology program have job opportunities due to the demand for highly trained and skilled techs. Nixon says nuclear energy is expected to move forward and there will be higher levels of regulations for jobs in the industry.
“Everything we do is about jobs for the future - the electrification of cars is going to create thousands of jobs over the next five to 10 years. And Monroe County Community College wants to be on the forefront of the expansion”
Please click on the arrow above to hear Nixon's Greening of the Great Lakes conversation with Kirk Heinze.
Greening of the Great Lakes airs each weekend on News/Talk 760 WJR and around the state on the Michigan Talk Network.
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