Fueling the Future: SRS Adds New Opportunities for Youth Apprenticeships

Six youth apprentices join the Savannah River Site (SRS). Front row, from left: BooBoo Roberts, SRS Apprenticeship School program manager; youth apprentices McKayla Smith, Lillian Garner, and Maya Deskevich; and Kaci Prouty, Project Controls administrative assistant. Back row, from left: youth apprentices Cohen Harrison, Steven Cook and Carson Williams; and Abigail Bowman, former Savannah River Nuclear Solutions college partner, curriculum, and pipeline development lead.

AIKEN, S.C. — Six youth apprentices are making a meaningful impact this year as part of the Savannah River Site’s (SRS) Youth Apprenticeship Program.

The program, integral to the SRS Apprenticeship School and its 29 registered apprenticeships, welcomes high school students from Aiken, Columbia and Richmond counties.

Since its expansion sitewide in 2020, the Apprenticeship School has graduated nearly 850 apprentices, with 91% successfully securing full-time positions at the site.

“To modernize the nation’s nuclear deterrent, we need a strong and diverse base of national expertise and educational opportunities in specialized technical areas that contribute to this mission,” said Sean Alford, senior vice president and chief administrative officer for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the site’s managing and operations contractor. “Our program is designed to support STEM disciplines that are critical to the Nuclear Security Enterprise and the Department of Energy, such as nuclear operations and other technical areas.”

The Youth Apprenticeship Program fosters a resilient workforce to meet the site’s evolving needs, said Dorian Newton, SRNS site training director.

“Through various partnerships, the program provides hands-on training, job-specific education and professional development across three models: key-skilled technician, professional/degree-based and youth apprenticeships,” Newton said. 

The 24-month program is tailored for high school juniors and seniors. Participants earn their diplomas while acquiring practical experience at SRS. As limited-service employees, youth apprentices earn wages and can also receive work-based learning credits.

In 2025, the program introduced two new roles: junior project controls engineer and junior business analyst, increasing the total number of youth apprenticeship options to five.

“These apprentices are eager to learn, quick to adapt and excelling in their new roles," said Kaci Prouty, SRNS project controls administrative assistant. "By beginning their careers while still in high school, they are setting a high standard for future program participants.”

McKayla Smith, a business analyst youth apprentice and Midland Valley High School senior, said her family has a long history of working at SRS, spanning four generations.

“I applied for the apprenticeship program to further my knowledge in business and accounting,” Smith said. “In my current role in Payroll Accounting, I am learning all of the different aspects of this department and how they work individually and together."

Halfway through their senior year, many youth apprentices are preparing to pursue relevant fields of study in college, with the goal of returning to SRS as adult apprentices or taking on full-time positions.

"My computer repair class, mock interviews and resume writing exercises prepared me for this opportunity," said Carson Williams, information technology youth apprentice and North Augusta High School senior. "My daily work involves computer repair and cybersecurity, and I am currently pursuing my CompTIA Cloud+ certification. I hope to work in cybersecurity or software engineering, and this experience is a crucial step toward achieving that."

Oscar Rushton, Aiken County Public School District work-based learning coordinator, said the SRS Apprenticeship School is a perfect example of positive outcomes that occur when education and industry work shoulder to shoulder: lives change, families gain stability and the community grows stronger.

“We are investing in clear, decisive opportunities to enable students to step into meaningful roles, while local businesses benefit from hiring homegrown talent,” Rushton said. “This is how you build a reliable workforce.”

The SRS Apprenticeship School benefits from a strong network of external and internal stakeholders that provide resources, expertise and funding support. Click here for more information.

-Contributor: Mackenzie McNabb