Pantex Blog
Career ONE steers engineering grads toward right path
Pantex Career ONE Manager Steve C. (far right) with the latest class.
Consumers may test drive a few cars before they find the right one. At Pantex and Y-12, Career ONE participants take a similar approach to find the right job.
Debuting in 2011, Career ONE (Opportunities for New Engineers) allows recent college graduates to participate in a job-rotation program during their first two years at the sites. The newcomers work in different engineering disciplines in 4– to 6–month increments and gain insights into each field so they can better determine which career path is the best fit.
“I found this middle ground between a job and an internship,” said former Y-12 Career ONE participant Erika R. “It is the perfect program.”
Workshops and training sessions further expand their knowledge and technical skills. In addition, they have access to state–of–the–art equipment and processes. Participants complete up to four rotations, which last a year at Pantex and between a year and 18 months at Y-12.
“It’s an opportunity to get a broader sense of what’s going on in the company and an opportunity to learn more,” said Pantex Career ONE Manager Steve C. “Helps them hit the ground running.”
Y-12 Career ONE Manager Kody C. added, “It’s a great program. These engineers are able to gain exposure to our mission and build technical experience. The managers have said how impressed they are with this organization and commented on how enthusiastic Career ONE classes have been.”
Participants, many introduced to Career ONE at job fairs, hail from schools such as the University of Tennessee, Tennessee Tech University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Texas Tech University.
The past two classes are part of a growth spurt for Y-12 Career ONE. The FY 2021 and 2022 groups boasted 14 and 15 members, respectively. The FY 2023 class had 19. At Pantex, the classes are smaller, with usually eight engineers entering the program each year. The program is in its fifth year there.
“We have plans to grow it,” Steve said. “In the next four to five years, would we would like to see it increase to about 15 people.”
As established groups finish their rotations, new grads come onboard, fostering a mentoring environment.
“Former Career ONE participants are the coaches for the current Career ONE class,” Kody said. “They help them get connected from a networking perspective.”
Although creating those connections is key to success at the sites, the opportunity to work in various areas of engineering is invaluable.
“For this generation that comes out of college, it’s all about choices,” Steve said. “They thrive on that.”
Among this generation is Claire F., who recently completed her final rotation at Y-12.
“This is my first job out of college,” she said. “Career ONE helped me to see my strengths and weaknesses and to see what parts of engineering I enjoy. I was worried coming into a new job and not liking it, but with this, I got a chance to try a few jobs. I really like my current position in Process Engineering, but I also enjoyed my time in Design. It’s been great to see all of the different sides. It gave me some really good options.”
The options also allow an easier entry into a new and sometimes daunting job world.
“Going in blind (to a single job) would have been intimidating,” said former Y-12 Career ONE participant Adam, who was deployed to Process Engineering. “This way, I got a chance to see what I liked and didn’t like.”
Also recently deployed to Y-12 Process Engineering is Michael H.
“This program has been fantastic,” he said. “It was perfect for my personality type. I’m always thinking, would I be better somewhere else or would I be happier somewhere else? Thankfully, I enjoy this job so much. It’s like a birds-eye view of what’s going on here, like being backstage, which is perfect, because I’m always craving knowledge.”
For former Pantex Career ONE participant Austin F., “I came in not knowing what exactly I wanted to do. All I knew is that I wanted to be an electrical engineer. Career ONE allowed me the ability to shift around and choose a group that was the best for me.” He works in the Projects Electrical Design group at Pantex.
There’s a good chance Austin and other Career ONE employees will remain at Pantex and Y-12 for years to come, which is good news. Both sites have been focused on attrition rates.
“Because of the positive experience they have in the program, they tend to stay at Y-12 for a while,” Kody said. “We set them up for success with all the access to the site.”
Steve has seen strong retention at Pantex as well, with Career ONE graduates on average working at the site for several years after program completion.
“It takes a few years to get acclimated and to contribute fully,” Adam said. “I could easily see myself being here five-plus years.”
Austin said, “The chances of me staying at Pantex are high, I would say, as long as I’m putting out quality work. I’m in a good group and I love the people here.”
Pantex plugs in to the future with electric-vehicle additions
Pantex recently received three Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickups.
“This is huge for sustainability,” said employee Alicia B. “This will help us in many categories of our sustainability goals, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions considerably.”
Rising gas prices, shifting consumer priorities and more continue to push Americans into electric vehicles in greater numbers. But what prompted Pantex’s change to new technology? Specifically, it was Executive Order No. 14057.
“There’s an executive order for sustainability that came through in 2021,” Alicia said. “One of the big initiatives in it is electric vehicles procurement. ”
It requires that 100 percent of the light-duty vehicles acquired for the NNSA fleet must be electric vehicles by 2027.”
Pantex employees designed a five-year plan to bring the plant into compliance. The three new Fords are a first step into a planned electrified future.
“DOE set up a [project troubleshooting] team with a national renewable-energy laboratory,” explained employee Zac L. “They have been active in reviewing our plans and giving feedback.”
Of course, this transition involves far more than simply buying new vehicles and counting electrical outlets. Before the trucks can reach the hands of their ultimate users, a great deal of testing and evaluation must be done.
“You’ve essentially got [several groups that will] look at it from a safety perspective,” Zac said. They are not alone.
“Before we can charge it onsite, they’re going to have to look at everything … and determine if these will meet our strict safety standards,” Alicia said.
Maintenance and repair bring their own learning curve of procedures and certifications which are much different than current technology. Currently, one site mechanic is certified to work on EVs, but that knowledge will have to expand as the Pantex electric fleet grows.
“Ultimately, it’s a new technology, so people want to verify that it is safe before allowing it to be around the site,” Zac said.
I am mission success: Shaun L.
Pantexan Shaun L.
“Everything just aligned perfectly,” says Shaun L., in regards to his experience of becoming a part of his team at Pantex.
Starting as an intern, Shaun began to work on projects for his team while he was still a West Texas A&M University student. Some of those projects are still in use today by his department.
In the last month of his internship, a position became available, and Shaun sought to fill the vacancy when the opportunity arose. He was eager to join the team and held that “you can’t help but succeed in that group.”
Despite his status as a newer employee, Shaun has already received recognition for his work building a large collection of dashboards associated with site-separation progress. According to Shaun, he is a part of a team of extremely high performers and says that certainly a lot more people were involved than just himself. He was very quick to add that this was a group effort that he could not have done alone.
“As a new employee at CNS I believe you really have the ability to get what you want out of working here,” he said. “There are so many opportunities and things you can do and learn. My suggestion is to get involved in as much as you can as often as you can. The hard work and connections will pay off.”
How have your problem-solving skills grown as you’ve developed as an employee?
I’d like to think my problem-solving skills have become much more refined during my time at Pantex. Being able to give people the solution they need even when it’s sometimes not what they ask for is an extremely useful skill. A lot of times this requires you to think out of the box, provide multiple solutions, and most of all have the real problem identified.
What top strength do you bring to your organization and why?
My greatest strength is likely my work ethic. Taking pride in responding rapidly and having a personal set of values in the way I approach work has helped me consistently produce high-quality results. It’s also helped me build stronger relationships with colleagues and begin to build trust surrounding my work at CNS.
What’s your favorite outside-of-work activity and why?
I’m a bit of a car guy. Eventually when I get a little bit more space, I’d like to restore an older car. I also enjoy being outdoors and staying active, but most recently I’ve been spending a lot of time at a local winery helping make wine. The process is really interesting to me and I enjoy all that goes into it.
Pantex hosts 50% completion celebration of the B61-12 and W88 Alt 370
Pantex Site Manager, Colby Yeary welcoming the audience
Pantexans and partners from across the National Security Enterprise gathered to celebrate the production halfway completion mark of the B61-12 Life Extension Program and W88 Alt 370. This milestone marks a significant accomplishment for Pantex, Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS), partners in the Nuclear Security Enterprise, the United States, and its allies. Having both programs reach the halfway point at the same time is a unique achievement.
“It took every one of you doing your part, working together with those thousands of others to achieve the common goal of modernizing these two weapons systems in order to continue to provide the nation with a safe, secure, and reliable nuclear deterrent,” said Dr. Rich Tighe, president and chief executive officer of CNS.
The B61-12 and W88 are strategically important weapons in our nation’s nuclear deterrent. The work done on these programs is critical to our nation’s defense plans for many years to come.
“The B61 gravity bomb is deployed by the U.S. Air Force on multiple platforms and has been in service more than 50 years, making it the oldest, most versatile weapon in the U.S. stockpile,” said Carlos Alvarado, deputy field office manager for the NNSA Production Office. He continued, “The W88 first entered the stockpile in the late 1980s. The W88 Alt 370 includes numerous updates to address aging concerns and enhance nuclear safety.”
Modernization of these weapons is vital to the mission.
“Working on such complex programs can be daunting, but the nation is better off as a result of your diligence and dedication. The work done at Pantex is in support of our national security strategy,” said John Evans, NNSA assistant deputy administrator for stockpile management.
The work on these two programs has not stopped. Reaching the 50% completion milestone is an accomplishment worth celebrating.
“An accomplishment such as this is only possible through teamwork and cooperation of everyone involved,” said Colby Yeary, Pantex site manager.
I am mission success: Michael O.
Pantexan Michael O.’s attention to detail prevented what could have caused serious damage to video teleconference rooms in JCDC.
Take 5 minutes to learn about Michael O., audio-visual technician at Pantex. All views and opinions are the employee’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of CNS.
It was a routine day for Michael O. as he was opening one of the video teleconference rooms on the second-floor north wing of John C. Drummond Center, but then something just seemed out of the ordinary.
While unlocking the room, Michael noticed that the digital tablet mounted on the wall next to the door looked defective.
Michael recalled, “I noticed the bezel that holds the screen was bowed out and the Technical Security sticker appeared to be tampered with. Upon further inspection, I realized that the tablet’s screen had broken off the device itself.”
Knowing the nature of the tablets as an experienced audio-visual technician, Michael quickly flagged it as more than a broken screen.
“The defect that occurred is an issue that can cause swollen batteries and device fires,” he said.
In following proper emergency reporting protocol, Michael immediately notified the Pantex Operations Center who connected him with Waste Operations, confirming that it was a potential fire hazard. To mitigate the issue, he was asked to unplug the device from its electrical power source and remove it from the wall as soon as and safely as possible.
However, Michael did not stop there.
“I knew other tablets had been installed around the same time the defective one was installed, so I wanted to check all of the devices around the JCDC to see if it was an isolated incident,” he said.
After inspecting the rest of the second floor of the JCDC, Michael discovered eight more faulty tablets and an additional 20 tablets across the building.
“This just happened to be one of those ‘something out of place, see something say something,’ moments,” he said.
As a result of Michael’s initial attention to detail, all of the identified fire hazardous tablets have been removed from the JCDC, preventing what could have been a costly and dangerous incident.
“We are continuing to monitor the tablets to hopefully catch any further issues quickly,” Michael said. “At this time, a solution to replace the devices is going through appropriate channels.”
Are you doing what you envisioned as a young adult? If so, describe how you got here.
As a young adult, I wanted to be a musician. During my second year at Amarillo College, I started working with local theaters acting and doing technical aspects (i.e., lights, sound, etc.). Eventually, I realized I wanted to do live events full time, so I transferred to the Santa Fe University of Art and Design where I studied technical theater. From there, I served in various technical director positions until the pandemic hit. With live events shutting down during that time, I moved back to Amarillo. The audio-visual technician position at Pantex became available, so I applied and kept my fingers crossed.
What is your favorite part or aspect of your work environment? How does that aspect make you know the mission is being met?
I’ve found that Pantex is an extremely collaborative environment. My peers have unique talents they bring to the team, and each one is willing to make sure employees’ needs are met every day. I feel that IT,/abbr> roles are constantly changing and developing, so being able to build upon our knowledge and combined years of experience allows us to keep the plant up and running with the tools and technology needed to complete their own mission critical roles.
How does patriotism factor into your life? Did your level of patriotism change after working at Pantex?
I’ve always had a sense of pride for our country and for the people who make up the diverse culture of our nation. Working at Pantex has further instilled my pride in our nation. While I may only play a small role in our mission, it ensures the freedoms and rights we’ve established as a nation. The deterrence that Pantex helps provide to our national defense allows me to go home every day to my family with pride.
What work advice would you offer someone who is new to Pantex or Y-12?
Network and get to know everyone you can. I have talked with and befriended everyone from maintenance staff to our executive leadership team. Each person has something you can learn from.
What would your coworkers be most surprised to learn about you?
I’ve been an actor on stage and on screen in 30+ productions, directed five fully staged plays, designed sets, lighting, and audio for more than 60 live productions, and can play multiple instruments, but my favorite thing was establishing internship programs at each venue I’ve worked at to pass along knowledge to the next generation and give them a place to grow their own passions.