Construction career opportunities highlighted at Savannah River Site

• May 5, 2024
  
  

A group of high-school students studying construction and welding at the Barnwell County Career Center recently learned about career opportunities at one of the largest construction projects happening in the nation – the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility at the Savannah River Site.

The students and their instructors toured SRS to learn about the site’s missions and the increasing demand for construction workers to support the SRPPF project as SRS establishes an enduring pit production mission. Once constructed and operational, SRPPF will produce plutonium pits for the National Nuclear Security Administration in support of the nation’s nuclear deterrent.

“Students involved in the building and skilled trades programs at local high school career centers have promising career opportunities after high school,” said Kim Mitchell, Lead Education Outreach Specialist with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions. “There is a high demand for skilled craft positions which led SRNS to enter into a Project Labor Agreement with the Augusta Building and Construction Trades Council. There are also supporting positions through the SRS Apprenticeship School.”

SRS is constructing SRPPF through repurposing an unfinished structure onsite which allows the NNSA to make use of an existing seismically-qualified, concrete structure with numerous supporting facilities and existing infrastructure.

During their visit, students received a short overview of SRS and apprenticeship programs, toured the Waste Solidification Building facility, and spoke one-on-one with craft employees who shared their career experiences in the construction and labor relations fields.