Georgia high school students who take part in a program to equip them with technical occupational skills recently toured EM maintenance facilities.
Office of Environmental Management
February 25, 2020
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AIKEN, S.C. – Georgia high school students who take part in a program to equip them with technical occupational skills recently toured EM maintenance facilities at the Savannah River Site (SRS).
Students from 11 high schools in the Richmond County School System participate in the Career, Technical and Agricultural Education Program. Twenty of those students visited SRS, where they listened to presentations about working at the site and toured two large buildings housing maintenance equipment, machinery, and personnel.
“We need to recruit the next generation of personnel who will be responsible for maintaining our facilities and keep the site operating for decades to come,” said Dennis Cheeks, site functional maintenance manager with EM contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS). “For this tour, we brought in high school students to spark an interest in a career path where they can use their technical skills and to show them various job opportunities available at SRS.”
Employees encouraged the students to obtain degrees from local technical school programs that could help them get hired at the site. Those programs include welding, nuclear operations, radiation control, and electronic and mechanical maintenance.
Taylor Williams, with the SRNS security maintenance division, told the students about her experience earning an electrical and computer engineering technology degree from Augusta Technical College. Williams, an electrical and instrumentation mechanic, also talked about her career at SRS over the past 18 months.
“You can earn a very good living here while pursuing a rewarding career,” Williams told the students. “I’ve really enjoyed my time at SRS; you can too.”
Cheeks noted that Williams can advance to new positions at SRS, such as a specialist, process analyst, engineering role, or supervisor.
The employees at SRS and the students also weighed the benefits of degrees from two-year technical colleges and four-year colleges, and the importance of an effective resume and practical interview skills.
AIKEN, S.C. – Georgia high school students who take part in a program to equip them with technical occupational skills recently toured EM maintenance facilities at the Savannah River Site (SRS).
Students from 11 high schools in the Richmond County School System participate in the Career, Technical and Agricultural Education Program. Twenty of those students visited SRS, where they listened to presentations about working at the site and toured two large buildings housing maintenance equipment, machinery, and personnel.
“We need to recruit the next generation of personnel who will be responsible for maintaining our facilities and keep the site operating for decades to come,” said Dennis Cheeks, site functional maintenance manager with EM contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS). “For this tour, we brought in high school students to spark an interest in a career path where they can use their technical skills and to show them various job opportunities available at SRS.”
Employees encouraged the students to obtain degrees from local technical school programs that could help them get hired at the site. Those programs include welding, nuclear operations, radiation control, and electronic and mechanical maintenance.
Taylor Williams, with the SRNS security maintenance division, told the students about her experience earning an electrical and computer engineering technology degree from Augusta Technical College. Williams, an electrical and instrumentation mechanic, also talked about her career at SRS over the past 18 months.
“You can earn a very good living here while pursuing a rewarding career,” Williams told the students. “I’ve really enjoyed my time at SRS; you can too.”
Cheeks noted that Williams can advance to new positions at SRS, such as a specialist, process analyst, engineering role, or supervisor.
The employees at SRS and the students also weighed the benefits of degrees from two-year technical colleges and four-year colleges, and the importance of an effective resume and practical interview skills.