The Savannah River Site (SRS) contractors recently celebrated the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) 9th Annual National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) 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, SRNS Deputy Director of Site Training. “Through various events and tours, SRNS has successfully supported National Apprenticeship Week while showcasing our most valuable occupations. 

Established by the DOL in 2015, NAW promotes high-quality, inclusive, in-demand career pathway opportunities through registered apprenticeships. SRNS aimed to connect career seekers to the apprenticeships and careers available in science, technology, engineering and math. 

“We kicked off the week-long celebration by recognizing 45 active apprentices from Aiken Technical College (ATC) and Denmark Technical College (DTC) 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 held at Estill Middle School and Silver Bluff High School.