Panelists push a paid 6-month vocational pathway to close nuclear industry labor gap

Ben Lambert moderated a panel of venture investors and industry operators on how to accelerate nuclear deployment and address workforce shortages. Bethany Coats, CEO of Break Line Education, said the industry lacks the needed talent and offered a two-part strategy: recruit from universities, community colleges and the military, and "build your own" vocational training modeled on the Navy's nuclear power school.

"We do not have this workforce," Coats said, citing "a 500,000 job worker gap" in energy-related fields and stating that two-thirds of American adults do not have a bachelor's degree. She proposed a six-month, purpose-built vocational school that pays trainees roughly $17 an hour during training and requires a three-year work commitment thereafter, saying that approach would produce rapid hires and reduce costly poaching and churn.

John Fogel Song (founding partner, Friends and Family Capital) and Scott Nolan (partner, Founders Fund; CEO/cofounder, General Matter) endorsed the basic plan, calling out the need for trades such as electricians, pipe welders and plumbers to staff both nuclear facilities and broader manufacturing growth. Nolan highlighted a staffing model that mixes experienced nuclear professionals with junior engineers and technicians to accelerate capacity-building.

Panelists framed the proposal as a public'private opportunity: state support and employer funding could subsidize rapid training that quickly turns trainees into taxpayers and productive workers. Coats said Break Line has worked with military communities and suggested the model could borrow the Navy's intensive curriculum while paying trainees to attend so they do not have to forgo wages.

The panel did not formalize next steps or announce a specific program timeline; moderator Ben Lambert closed the session after remarks and audience thanks.