Paducah Expo Center ‘WKY Launch Experience’ 8th Grade Career Fair
More than 800 Paducah and McCracken County School System 8th graders came together on October 25th at the Paducah Exposition Center to see the skills needed to be successful in today’s workforce. The United Steelworkers were in attendance at this event to showcase our diverse workforce crafts and strength in solidarity. The USW Local 550 represents over 20 distinct classifications at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, offering our future workforce at the career fair valuable insight into the importance of our field.
President Gary Wilson along with health and safety representatives and other union officials were in attendance to speak with area 8th graders about the opportunities of future employment offered alongside our well-trained workforce at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
According to projections released June 2023 by the Department of Energy, over the next five years alone, Environmental Management, EM, will be in need of approximately 41,000 craft workers. This includes 11,000 operators, 8,700 radiological technicians and 6,500 electricians.
“Developing, recruiting and retraining the next-generation workforce EM will need across the country will be critical to ensuring our continued progress,” EM Senior Advisor William “Ike” White said to the Department of Energy.
