Pantex Mission Engineering begins new graduate and service member program

R. Goodman, Veteran to Engineers program

Pantex incorporated and developed two new Mission Engineering programs for recent college graduate and military service members: Career Opportunities for New Engineers (Career ONE) and Veteran to Engineers (VTE) programs.

“Taken from a Y-12 success story, the programs were implemented to create and sustain a talented engineering workforce,” said R. Barrera-Chavez, Mission Engineering. “By bringing the program to Pantex, we hope to develop well-rounded engineers responsive to business needs.”

The Career ONE program takes recent college graduates places then in a rotation to expose them to various engineering specialties, work processes, and deliverables. As they gain insight into each assignment, the candidate and their managers can better determine which role is the best fit while considering business needs. The candidates are provided with mentoring and development opportunities throughout the year-long assignment.

“Once their one year rotation is complete, discussions will be held between the candidate, the program manager, and mission managers to determine the best fit for them,” said Barrera-Chavez.

M. Lee, A. Mitchell, B. Pattison and L. Robledo are Career ONE recent college graduates now employed as full-time Core Engineering Associates. They rotate approximately every 4 months through assigned various engineering projects at Pantex during the year-long program.

Pattison has rotated through Procurement Engineering and currently supports Engineering Development and said that even with COVID-19 complications, the program has been well-managed and guided.

“There are so many valuable aspects of this program,” Pattinson said. “Despite the short time frame, the work and experience has been more than I imagined it would be.”

Lee’s first stop was in Process Engineering followed by Nuclear Procurement Engineering group and has enjoyed the people and the learning experience.

“Career ONE is a great opportunity,” Lee said. “You get to experience a variety of engineering you may not have ever been exposed to and see what type of engineering you like. Not only does it benefit the company putting engineers where they work best, but you get placed into a position you enjoy working at every day.”

Mitchell has been able to take insight and knowledge from one group and use it in the other.

“I truly believe that the knowledge I am receiving and connections I am making will help me be a more valuable asset to Pantex,” she said.

Robledo is the newest to the group and still within her first rotation, but says she’s already learning a lot and the people in her department are nice and helpful.

The VTE program is an opportunity for military service members to complete an engineering degree while working part-time.

“The program primarily matches the military service, discipline and skills of non-commissioned officers to our future technical needs,” said Barrera-Chavez.

The candidates are exposed to various specialties and work processes while gaining opportunities for mentoring and development. Upon completion of the degree, full-time employment opportunities are available if there is satisfactory performance.

R. Goodman is the first VTE new hire and his first rotation is with Projects Engineering.

“By bringing the programs to Pantex, we hope to develop well rounded engineers responsive to business needs,” said Barrera-Chavez.

Career ONE, M. Lee

Career ONE, B. Pattison