Establishment of a Nationwide Plasma Science and Fusion Energy Certification and Apprenticeship Programs

Journal Article · Mon Nov 03 23:00:00 EST 2025 · Fusion Science and Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2025.2560747· OSTI ID:3004736

Kostadinova, Evdokiya (Eva) ^[1]; Zwicker, Andrew ^[2]

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1. Auburn Univ., AL (United States)
2. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)

Here we propose the establishment of a national Plasma Science and Fusion Energy training program that will combine professional development certification courses with hands-on apprenticeship opportunities. The program should be developed by a collaboration of stakeholders (academia, national laboratories, and industry) and should offer pathways for students from community colleges (CCs), minority-serving institutions (MSIs), high school graduates, and veterans. We argue that certification courses offer fast and flexible discipline-specific education that can be rapidly translated into marketable skills through hands-on apprenticeship opportunities. Furthermore, we first list major findings and recommendations related to the fusion workforce and discuss how to address them through the establishment of the proposed training program. We then highlight the appropriateness of this format for engagement with CCs, MSIs, high schools, and veteran employment services. In the final section, we provide a strategy for the establishment of the program, along with a tentative timeline and projected costs.

• Research Organization: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-09CH11466
• OSTI ID: 3004736
• Journal Information: Fusion Science and Technology, Journal Name: Fusion Science and Technology; ISSN 1943-7641; ISSN 1536-1055
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

Certification
apprenticeship
experiential
training
workforce