Savannah River Site (SRS) contractors recently celebrated the U.S. Department of Labor’s 9th Annual National Apprenticeship Week with site-wide and community events to bring awareness to 22 different registered apprenticeship occupations.
Office of Environmental Management
December 12, 2023
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AIKEN, S.C. – Savannah River Site (SRS) contractors recently celebrated the U.S. Department of Labor’s 9th Annual National Apprenticeship Week with site-wide and community events to bring awareness to 22 different registered apprenticeship occupations.
“Since 2020, our Nuclear Operator Apprenticeship Program has grown from 10 students to over 100 per cohort and proves to be a valuable pipeline to secure high-paying careers across the site,” said Dorian Newton, deputy director of site training at SRS management and operations contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS). “Through various events and tours, SRNS has successfully supported National Apprenticeship Week while showcasing our most valuable occupations.”
Established by the Labor Department in 2015, National Apprenticeship Week promotes high-quality, inclusive, in-demand career pathways through registered apprenticeships. SRS aimed to connect career seekers to the apprenticeships and careers available in science, technology, engineering and math fields.
“We kicked off the weeklong celebration by recognizing 45 active apprentices from Aiken Technical College and Denmark Technical College with an appreciation luncheon,” said BooBoo Roberts, SRNS Apprenticeship School and Pipeline Training manager. “With 91% of our apprentices transitioning into full-time positions at the site, the Apprenticeship School and Pipeline Training (APT) team continues to encourage apprentices to strive for excellence until the completion of the program.”
To bring more awareness and access to apprenticeship programs for students and educators, the APT team led other events that included online community webinars, program discussions and career fairs.
“The APT team connected with over 25 seniors, career specialists and guidance counselors at Silver Bluff High School and 50 students from Estill Middle School to promote our four career paths,” said Adam Smith, SRNS apprenticeship program lead. “It is so important to share a game plan for these occupations to middle and high school students to help prepare them for a fulfilling career at SRS.”
Fourteen students and instructors from Augusta Technical College visited SRS to learn more about apprenticeships and career opportunities in engineering, welding, chemical tech, industrial systems and mechatronics. Students also toured the SRS Waste Solidification Building and EM’s Savannah River National Laboratory.
Augusta Tech Architectural and Engineering student Cam McConnell says he jumped at the opportunity to tour the site and learn more about available full-time employment options.
“I’ve tried to get my foot in the door for a couple of years now,” said McConnell. “I knew working at the site was a tremendous opportunity, but the tour focused on the engineering opportunities, convenient work schedules and the ability to grow within the company, which was very exciting to me. I plan to use this degree and my prior military experience to land an engineering job at SRS in the future.”
In celebration of Nuclear Apprenticeship Week, Daniel Ball, welding instructor, Aiken County Career and Technology Center, toured the Waste Solidification Building at Savannah River Site and learned about apprenticeship opportunities available to students.
The week concluded with an educator tour of H Canyon that included career-focused discussions with nearly 30 career specialists, guidance counselors, regional workforce advisors and adult educators from surrounding counties.
Aiken High School Counselor Jacquetta Hammonds and Langley-Bath-Clearwater Middle School Counselor Aretha Tarver participated in that tour to bring new opportunities to their students.
“A four-year degree is not always the perfect path for some students,” said Hammonds. “The apprenticeship program is a great option that connects students with a well-paying job and two-year degree that can support their families.”
Said Tarver, “Many of our eighth graders want to broaden their scope and learn about potential careers close to home. With this information, I can help shed some light on potential careers in the nuclear industry and connect them to on-the-job experiences and training at SRS.”
SRNS has 22 apprenticeship programs that are key to recruitment and are built around four career paths: nuclear facility/production operators, maintenance mechanics, quality assurance inspectors and electrical and instrumentation mechanics. Successful partnerships with the Lower Savannah Council of Governments, Apprenticeship Carolina, Aiken Technical College, Denmark Technical College, Augusta Tech and Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College have allowed apprentices to gain paid on-the-job training and networking opportunities.
“We are so grateful to our partners who have helped transition over 300 apprentices into full-time occupations since 2020,” said Newton. “We will continue to highlight and celebrate these partnerships and the 22 apprenticeship programs that help maintain a sustainable workforce, minimize the duration of required training and ensure our contractors are supplied with qualified personnel to support SRS missions.”
-Contributor: Mackenzie McNabb
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