Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
The first two youth apprentices, Arian Williams and Drew Platts, officially sign during the “Allendale Barnwell Counties Youth Apprenticeships Signing Day” event. Back row, from left to right, SRNS employees Patrick Ott, David Jackson, Dorian Newton, and BooBoo Roberts.
Savannah River Site (SRS) recently announced its recognition and celebration of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) 9th Annual National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) with site-wide and community events planned Nov 13-16, which will bring awareness to 22 different apprenticeship occupations.
“At SRS, apprenticeships are a proven way for community members to obtain pathways to secure, high-paying careers in science, technology, engineering and math fields across the Site,” said Dorian Newton, Deputy Director, Site Training. “We are proud to support National Apprenticeship Week and to showcase the impact our apprenticeships have on building our future workforce.”
NAW was established by the DOL to showcase and promote high-quality, inclusive, in-demand career pathway opportunities through Registered Apprenticeship (RA), so that career seekers can learn more about the benefits of RA and the opportunities that are available locally.
In 2020, the Site’s first apprenticeship cohort began with 10 apprentices enrolled, which has now grown to over 100 per cohort. SRNS has 22 apprenticeship programs that are key to recruitment and are built around three career paths: facility/production operators, maintenance mechanic, and electrical/instrumentation mechanic. Successful partnerships with Aiken Technical College, Denmark Technical College and Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College have allowed apprentices to gain paid on-the-job training and networking opportunities.
“Apprenticeships are a key strategy to improving job quality and creating access to good-paying jobs for all, including populations historically underrepresented – women, people of color, and individuals with a disability – and underserved populations, such as youth and young adults,” said BooBoo Roberts, Program Manager, Apprenticeship School and Pipeline Training. “With 22 registered apprenticeships at the Site, we are addressing some of our nation’s pressing workforce shortages.”
The theme for NAW 2023 is “Registered Apprenticeship: Superhighway to Good Jobs.”
It reflects the prominence of RA as a proven and industry-driven training model for overcoming a variety of workforce and education challenges, and addressing issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the workplace.
“We are hoping to bring more awareness and access to our programs by connecting with students in middle school, high school and local colleges,” Newton continued. “Much of our focus is on recognizing and celebrating our existing apprentices and generating external awareness of opportunities through tours for both students and educators to show that this can be an option for everyone.”
NAW 2023 celebratory events will include an apprenticeship appreciation luncheon, online community webinars and program discussions, high school and college career fairs, SRS employee awareness activities, Q&A sessions, career tours and educator tours.
