The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) will dedicate $1 million annually over the next half-decade to train college students in South Carolina and Georgia to take over the upcoming plutonium pit mission, among others, at the Savannah River Site.
NNSA Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty discussed the $5 million commitment Monday afternoon during a press event at the Aiken, S.C., Technical College, one of the several colleges in the region that partner with SRS. Also in attendance were U.S. Reps. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and Rick Allen (R-Ga.), along with several local officials in the Aiken area.
The funding, which will go toward the Workforce Opportunities in Regional Careers (WORC) program, will be in addition to the $1 million the program has received each year from DOE since being launched in fiscal 2016. The workforce program pays for student training in areas including computer technology, radiation protection, nuclear engineering, and environmental remediation.
Gordon-Hagerty said the money will be directed through the SRS Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO), a nonprofit organization that oversees the workforce initiative. For years, the organization has served as an advocate by encouraging students to seek employment at the nuclear site.
“The schools here in the Central Savannah River Area have been instrumental in preparing that workforce,” Gordon-Hagerty said at the press conference. “Our mission at Savannah River Site will be growing – not decreasing.”
Schools included in the initiative are Aiken Tech, Augusta Technical College, the University of South Carolina Aiken, Augusta University, and USC-Salkehatchie. Money will be used for the SRSCRO to train students at these schools for missions at SRS, which include environmental management, welding, tritium production for nuclear security, and the upcoming production of plutonium pits.
When asked how the dollars will impact the SRS plutonium pit program, which would produce fissile cores for nuclear warheads, Gordon-Hagerty said the mission will see some trickle-down from the $5 million.
