By Dave Flessner - timesfreepress.com 

Laid off from the Dorsey Corp. after five years on the job, Paul Talbott wanted a more stable career.

The 44-year-old Highland Park resident thinks he has found it in the nuclear power industry.

Mr. Talbott is enrolled this fall in a new program at Chattanooga State Technical Community College that could put nearly 40 radiation protection technicians in the field by 2010, each with the potential to earn more than $50,000 a year.

“Nuclear power looks like an industry that is going to be recessionproof, and it’s a well-paying industry with a bright future,” he said.

The prospect of a revival of nuclear power construction across the South is enticing more students such as Mr. Talbott to pursue careers in the nuclear industry. The Tennessee Valley Authority projects it will need to hire about 250 workers a year to replace retiring workers in its nuclear power division. The federal utility and others may hire thousands more workers if they move ahead with pending applications to build the next generation of nuclear power plants.

“This industry is growing, and we know there will be a demand for more workers,” said Tim McGhee, head of the engineering technology department at Chattanooga State, which recently reinstated its radiation protection technology program at the request of TVA.

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