Bechtel and NABTU Partner to Modernize Nuclear Apprenticeship Programs

Bechtel and NABTU Join Forces to Enhance Nuclear Construction Apprenticeships

Washington, D.C. — May 5, 2026 — A collaboration poised to transform the landscape of nuclear construction in the United States has been unveiled. Bechtel and North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) have agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at modernizing apprenticeship programs for building the next wave of nuclear power plants.

This MOU represents the synchronization of efforts between a leading global construction firm in nuclear infrastructure and the continent's largest network of skilled trade unions. By joining forces, these organizations seek to enhance apprenticeship pathways, improve specialized training, and uphold superior craftsmanship and quality standards critical to nuclear project delivery.

Through this synergistic initiative, Bechtel and NABTU will ensure that apprenticeship programs evolve to meet the technical demands and resource scale required by contemporary nuclear construction.

Key objectives under the agreement include:

- Identifying essential craft skills needed for nuclear construction and tailoring apprenticeship training accordingly
- Partnering with union training centers to update curricula that reflect current nuclear construction methods and technologies
- Leveraging union networks to recruit and create pathways into high-skilled careers focused on building large reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs)

Brendan Bechtel, Chair and CEO of Bechtel, highlighted: “Delivering nuclear power plants requires exceptional craft expertise and a deep commitment to safety and quality. Bechtel’s long-standing partnership with NABTU has helped build some of the most complex energy infrastructure in the United States, including Vogtle Units 3 and 4, the first new nuclear reactors built in the country in more than three decades. Today, we’re continuing that work on next-generation technologies like the Natrium Demonstration Project, which represents a new era of nuclear innovation. This agreement strengthens our collaboration with NABTU and ensures apprenticeship programs continue to develop the number of craft professionals needed to supply this growing market as well as passes on the specialized knowledge and skills required to safely deliver these projects.”

Sean McGarvey, President of NABTU, remarked: "Building the next generation of nuclear projects requires the highest levels of skill, precision, and safety, and that starts with NABTU’s world-class apprenticeship training and strong contractor partners like Bechtel. This agreement ensures a continuous pipeline of highly skilled, job-ready craft professionals to build nuclear power’s next fleet of reactors. For project owners, that means no labor shortage risk when projects are built under building trades agreements with access to NABTU’s union construction workforce. Workforce availability is not a constraint, and projects can be delivered safely, efficiently, and with certainty.”

With a partnership legacy stretching over a century, Bechtel and NABTU have undertaken some of the globe’s most intricate infrastructure projects. Their recent collaboration at the Vogtle expansion and ongoing work on the Natrium Demonstration project in Kemmerer, Wyoming, exemplify their joint commitment to advancing nuclear innovation in the U.S.

Apprenticeships remain a cornerstone in cultivating the skilled workforce essential for the U.S.'s future nuclear projects.

For additional information on this partnership, visit Bechtel.com.

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