Kairos launches NuCAMP to train America’s next generation nuclear workforce

As the United States works to deploy a new generation of advanced nuclear reactors, one challenge is becoming increasingly important: building the workforce capable of manufacturing and constructing them. Kairos Power has launched a new collaboration to address that challenge through the Nuclear Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Precast, or NuCAMP. The company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the University of Tennessee–Knoxville, the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), Barnard Construction, Roane State Community College, Chattanooga State Community College, and Oak Ridge Schools. NuCAMP will be hosted at Kairos Power’s Reactor Demonstration Campus in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where the company is developing facilities for its high-temperature, fluoride salt–cooled reactor technology. Building the people needed for advanced nuclear According to Nuclear Newswire, the new center will focus on manufacturing development, workforce training, and collaboration, with facilities supporting areas such as precast concrete production, assembly, welding, and additive manufacturing. The participating organizations have agreed to an initial 12-month exploratory phase to determine which technologies, training programs, and career pathways should be developed. For Kairos, the initiative addresses a problem that extends beyond reactor design. “Delivering affordable advanced reactors at scale will require more than a strong design,” said Kairos cofounder and chief technology officer Ed Blandford. Advanced nuclear projects will require qualified manufacturing processes, construction methods that meet strict nuclear standards, and workers with the skills to apply them. NuCAMP aims to bring together industry, research institutions, universities, community colleges, and schools to begin building those capabilities. Exploring new ways to build nuclear plants One major focus will be the application of advanced manufacturing technologies to nuclear construction. Kairos will work with ORNL, the University of Tennessee, and IACMI to explore technologies including precast concrete construction, large-format additive manufacturing, wire-arc additive manufacturing, and electron beam welding. The goal is not simply to experiment with new techniques. The partners will also examine potential code and qualification gaps that could prevent these technologies from being widely adopted in the nuclear industry. Kairos has already explored several of these approaches while constructing and testing its Hermes reactor facilities. The company has used precast concrete for shielding structures and 3D-printed large composite structures. It also opted for electron beam welding instead of conventional arc welding when fabricating the reactor vessel for its Engineering Test Unit 3. Through the Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, ORNL will contribute its research capabilities to help mature advanced manufacturing and construction methods for nuclear applications. From master’s degrees to skilled trades NuCAMP’s workforce plans extend across multiple levels of education. The University of Tennessee will evaluate two potential master’s programs. One would focus on manufacturing engineering for factory-based nuclear construction, while another could specialize in precast concrete construction. Roane State and Chattanooga State community colleges will explore specialized training for careers such as nuclear pipe welding, precast production, and skid manufacturing. The initiative could also reach students much earlier. Oak Ridge Schools will examine opportunities to expand advanced manufacturing and skilled trades pathways at the middle and high school levels. That approach reflects the broad range of skills that may be required as advanced nuclear projects move toward commercial deployment. The industry will need more than nuclear engineers and scientists. Welders, manufacturing technicians, construction specialists, materials experts, automation professionals, and other skilled workers could all play a role in building the next generation of reactors. Kairos will also work with Samsung C&T Engineering & Construction Group and Cambridge Vacuum Engineering to explore advanced manufacturing and construction opportunities. NuCAMP remains in its early exploratory phase, and its final structure has yet to be determined. But the initiative highlights a growing reality for the nuclear industry: developing new reactors is only part of the challenge. If advanced nuclear is to be deployed at scale, companies will also need the factories, manufacturing systems, construction techniques, and trained workforce required to turn reactor designs into operating power plants. Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Kaif Shaikh is a journalist and writer passionate about turning complex information into clear, impactful stories. His writing covers technology, sustainability, geopolitics, and occasionally fiction. A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, his work has appeared in the Times of India and beyond. After a near-fatal experience, Kaif began seeing both stories and silences differently. Outside work, he juggles far too many projects and passions, but always makes time to read, reflect, and hold onto the thread of wonder.