Representatives from LANL, DOE, N3B, the EM-LA Field Office and Los Alamos County discuss hiring strategies during the DOE Workforce Needs For Environmental Management-Los Alamos workshop Friday at the Municipal Building. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

Attracting and retaining employees is a challenge experienced all over the country – even the Department of Energy (DOE) and its contractors are discussing and unveiling new, innovative ways to attract workers.

To begin the brainstorming process and even pursue new ideas locally, the DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM); the Energy Communities Alliance, which represents communities near DOE sites; and the Energy Facility Contractors Group, which represents cleanup contractors, hosted a workshop Friday morning inside the Los Alamos County Municipal Building. The meeting involved senior leadership from EM, the EM-Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) and N3B, the legacy cleanup contractor at Los Alamos.

One thing did seem certain throughout the workshop, when it comes to successful hiring, employers need to think outside the box.

As EM-LA Deputy Manager Ellie Gilbertson pointed out, the field office has never been fully staffed.

“When what we’ve always done doesn’t work, what do you do,” she said. “… if you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results, well, that’s the definition of insanity.”

So, EM-LA rethought a few things. For instance, Gilbertson said EM-LA utilizes a pathways program, which looks at underrepresented or historically disadvantaged subsets of communities and gives them an avenue into the Federal government.

“But the big thing we did to say we are not going do this the same way anymore … was a strategic vision ….” Gilbertson said.

EM-LA is in the process of developing a Strategic Vision to help guide the remaining legacy cleanup work at LANL. The development of the Strategic Vision has involved outreach with a variety of stakeholders and Pueblo representatives.

A few things learned from the Strategic Vision outreach:

• There is no on-ramp program into EM-LA. Some parents are concerned their students will not graduate high school, which made EM-LA officials wonder if it could offer students an incentive to complete high school. For example, making positions that are structured like “ladders,” meaning high school graduates are brought in and start in a college curriculum as a function of their job to help them progress to senior positions.
• Some populations will not work in Los Alamos because of environmental concerns, while other groups feel that the way EM-LA handles its work violates their cultural values and morals. Some feel EM-LA has historically alienated them.

This distrust for EM-LA needs to be addressed, Gilbertson said.

“We are going to stand united and together and together we will succeed or divided we will fall. And we are the pinnacle of that with the hiring challenges right now,” she said.

As a result, EM-LA needs to adapt to the diverse communities in New Mexico, Gilbertson said, adding that there isn’t anything in place now, but work can start on designing a plan that is specific to people’s needs.

N3B President Brad Smith echoed the sentiment that all these agencies need to be transparent and communicative about the myriad of positions involved in nuclear operation and environmental cleanup.

“Outreach means everything,” he said. “The more I am out having brown bag lunches at high schools (the more I can make) people understand (that) you just need to sit down and have a conversation (about) what do you want to do and how can I help you get there. It starts with that conversation.”

Smith emphasized that N3B’s entire workforce is invaluable, and anyone can progress through the company.

“I am not the driver of the company. The people who put their hands on the shovels, grabbing samples, and everything else, we are serving them. The more opportunity I give those folks and get them to understand that you are just as important … as soon as you are part of a team you achieve more.”

EM-LA Manager Michael Mikolanis also dispelled the idea that working for DOE requires a PhD and being a scientist.

“The office of Environmental Management’s mission is an important mission and there are quite of a number of jobs … that you don’t have to have a PhD … there are career opportunities for trades, crafts, administrative (and) other types of professions that can last for decades,” he said. “There are great career jobs here that can be filled from everybody with a high school degree to the scientists…”

Mark Russell of N3B touched on what is offered to those who are freshly graduated or looking for a career.

He discussed the two-year state apprenticeship program, which N3B offers through a partnership with Northern New Mexico College. It is run as a registered apprenticeship program, which gives a credential that is transportable throughout DOE. The credential is recognized by the Federal Department of Labor as an apprentice-able occupation and can be turned into an associate degree.

Plus, Russell said college reimbursement is offered to those who continue to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

“We are building future leaders from just a high school diploma,” he said.

Russell said the program qualifies participants as a nuclear operator, a reference inspector and industrial hygiene technician. Additionally, they rotate through every department at N3B.

“We are trying to foster lateral movement throughout the company…,” he said.

In addition, Russell said N3B partners with University of New Mexico-Los Alamos (UNM-LA) to offer the Radiological Control Technician boot camp. The program offers 10 college credits and can be funneled into an associate degree.

And just what will those who complete these programs be focusing on at N3B and EM-LA?

Gilbertson said EM-LA’s top priorities include: addressing the hexavalent chromium plume that contaminated the aquifer underneath the laboratory.

Additionally, EM-LA is focusing on retrieving and reducing the size of corrugated metal pipes that are buried at TA-54, Area G. There are 158 corrugated pipes, which equates to 132 WIPP shipments.

Finally, EM-LA is engaged with stakeholders from local communities to work on the Strategic Vision to increase communication and transparency.

“It is very clear that having a qualified workforce is central to the success of our mission and that starts in the community,” Gilbertson said. “We are not strangers in that we have unique challenges in Northen New Mexico but that comes with unique opportunities for us to excel.”

Smith described the three predominant objectives for N3B: protecting water quality, cleaning up the land and shipping waste offsite.

The workshop was the first of its kind that DOE has offered and Los Alamos County Council Chair Denise Derkacs said they were excited to host this conversation.

“We are honored to have you all here today … our county government works to help DOE and NNSA achieve their national security missions,” she said. “Not only are we providing utilities and firefighting services to LANL, we’re also developing housing opportunities and supporting local businesses, schools, a university branch and a medical facility – all amenities that make Los Alamos a desirable place to live and work, which in turn helps LANL attract and retain employees. We understand that workforce is essential to the ongoing success of this mission, and we are glad to have this opportunity to discuss challenges and solutions to support this important effort.”

From left, Los Alamos County Council Chair Denise Derkacs, EM-LA Manager Michael Mikolanis, EM-LA Deputy Manager Ellie Gilbertson, N3B President Brad Smith and Mark Russell of N3B attend the workshop Friday. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com