Two ET companies join consortium
Two East Tennessee companies join program consortium helping veterans get education, careers
Wed, 30 September 2009
Two East Tennessee companies, Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc., and Ingenium Professional Services, Inc., have joined a unique consortium to provide engineering employment and educational opportunity for military veterans.
Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. specializes in industrial forensics, materials characterization, process optimization, and environmental chemistry. Ingenium Professional Services, Inc., is a service-disabled veteran-owned company specializing in project management and process improvement, including facility operations, engineering and design, environmental engineering, and project and construction management.
The program, known as the America's Veterans to Tennessee Engineers program, which is a Scientific, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) based initiative, is an opportunity for retiring veterans to complete an engineering degree that will automatically lead to full-time employment at several area technical companies and institutions.
The program is a result of interactions made possible by regional businesses, government, and education leaders working together through the Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit.
STEM matches the military service, discipline and skills of primarily noncommissioned officers to help support future regional technical needs. This STEM program works to help veterans with part-time employment, community sponsors, academic mentors, and ultimately matches graduates with engineering and technical jobs. The program is intended to help veterans transition from military status through education to employment in needed technical and scientific fields.
The program is intended to attract retiring veterans with strong math and science skills and for those veterans interested in becoming nuclear, chemical, mechanical, electrical, or civil engineers. The STEM program holds three selection boards per year. The selection board is comprised of very senior members of the corporations and universities in the consortium.
Currently, there are 21 veterans selected for the program, with 11 of them working at the participating companies and 14 of them enrolled in the participating Tennessee schools. The remaining ones are finishing their military duty responsibilities.
Other participating companies and agencies include B&W Y‑12, the Tennessee Valley Authority, Bechtel, UT-Battelle (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), Pro2Serve, Energy Solutions, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), GEM, B&W Clinch River, Information International Associates, Inc., ExergX, Tetra Tech, and the U.S. Enrichment Corporation (USEC). Educational organizations participating include Roane State Community College, Pellissippi State Technical Community College, The University of Tennessee, and Tennessee Technological University. Supporting organizations and governments include Anderson County; Akins Crisp Public Strategies; City of Oak Ridge; City of Knoxville; Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office; East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC); Innovation Valley, Inc.; Knox County; Lawler-Wood LLC; National Nuclear Security Administration Y‑12 Site Office; Oak Ridge Associated Universities; Roane County; Tennessee Valley Corridor; Energy, Technology & Environmental Businesss Association; and WSI–Oak Ridge.
More information regarding America's Veterans to Tennessee Engineers program is available on the B&W Y‑12 website. See more information on the Tennessee Valley Corridor's Vets to the Valley initiative that includes the Non-Commissioned Officer Enhanced Workforce in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (NEW-STEM) program.
Y-12 is a key facility in the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex and is responsible for ensuring the safety, reliability, and security of the nuclear weapons stockpile and serves as the nation's primary repository of highly enriched uranium. B&W Y‑12 operates the Y‑12 National Security Complex for the National Nuclear Security Administration.