  Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Manager Jay Mullis speaks at the Vision 2024 celebration. He is joined on stage, from left, by U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Senior Advisor Candice Robertson; U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Federal Sites National Program Manager Greg Gervais; EPA Region 4 Division Director Caroline Freeman; Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner David Salyers; Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch; Roane County Executive Wade Creswell; Kairos Power Chief Technology Officer Ed Blandford; and UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter.
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and contractor UCOR last week celebrated achieving Vision 2024, the culmination of 20 years of cleanup at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP).
This effort — one of the nation’s largest environmental cleanup projects — transformed a former Manhattan Project and Cold War-era uranium enrichment complex into a multiuse industrial park.
Congressional, state, and local leaders, private industry, and top officials from the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined OREM and UCOR to mark the end of major fieldwork at ETTP.
“Our progress has transformed the site from an unusable liability into an economic asset for the Oak Ridge community,” OREM Manager Jay Mullis said.
 That was made possible through extensive demolition and soil excavation. Crews completed the teardown of all 500 buildings at ETTP in 2020. Since then, they’ve been busy removing building slabs and soil impacted by previous operations beneath the footprint of the former structures.
Initial estimates indicated approximately 100,000 cubic yards of soil would require excavation but increased as work progressed. By the end of the project, workers had removed and disposed of more than 554,000 cubic yards of soil, equaling nearly 50,000 dump truck loads.
“We are proud to have kept the project on schedule despite the increased work needed to address the additional excavation,” said UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter. “As with any cleanup or remediation project, maintaining flexibility, planning for the unexpected, and approaching each project with a focus on safety and efficiency has allowed us to successfully complete this work and provide continued benefit to the American taxpayer.”
 An aerial view of the East Tennessee Technology Park following the completion of all demolition and soil remediation projects at the former uranium enrichment complex.
With soil remediation now complete, a DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) 2024 priority, DOE can transfer the remaining federally owned parcels of land at the site to the community for beneficial reuse.
“As we execute our mission, we are increasingly focused on the future of those who live near our sites in communities,” said EM Senior Advisor Candice Robertson. “The historic transformation of ETTP is a part of a visionary approach that’s not only focused on cleaning up the environmental legacy of the past, but also creating opportunities for modernization, beneficial reuse and economic growth.”
To date, OREM has transferred more than 1,700 acres of land to the community to help attract and generate new economic development for the region, and it is turning over hundreds of more acres in the coming year. Twenty-five private businesses have located or announced plans to build on these parcels, bringing in $1.35 billion in investments and generating an anticipated 1,400 jobs.
 Kairos Power is the newest company to locate on land the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management transferred to the community for economic development. The company recently began construction on its Hermes demonstration reactor facility. Its $100 million investment will bring 55 jobs to the site.
The focus of many of these recent industrial development efforts has been clean energy technology. Among those, Kairos Power began construction last month on its Hermes low-power demonstration reactor. The company’s $100 million investment will bring 55 jobs to the site.
This site’s evolution has garnered this year’s Superfund National Priorities List Award as part of EPA’s annual National Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Awards. The awards highlight the accomplishments of federal agencies, states, tribes, local partners, communities and developers in restoring and reusing once-contaminated land at federal facilities.
“We are excited to announce that the East Tennessee Technology Park is one of this year’s recipients of the National Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Awards, recognizing the dedication and hard work on the part of our partner agencies and so many other people and organizations that went into remediating and transforming this site into a multiuse technology park that will benefit the community and the region,” said Caroline Freeman, director of EPA’s Superfund and Emergency Management Division in Region 4.
 Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and contractor UCOR completed all soil remediation projects at the East Tennessee Technology Park this summer. Crews excavated soil that filled nearly 50,000 dump truck loads from the site to complete this phase of cleanup.
EPA created the National Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Awards to recognize exceptional work remediating a federal site for its beneficial use and creating positive impacts to the community.
With soil remediation complete, OREM and UCOR will conduct groundwater and surface water remediation, the final cleanup tasks to complete EM’s mission at ETTP.
-Contributor: Ben Williams
 U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management crews at the Idaho National Laboratory Site prepare to move Peach Bottom Atomic Station fuel from a transfer cask to a second-generation storage vault.
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — The cleanup contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site recently met its fiscal year 2024 milestone of transferring 10 spent nuclear fuel baskets from first-generation vaults to second-generation storage vaults ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline.
The fuel had been shipped to the INL Site for storage from the former Peach Bottom Atomic Station, Unit 1 reactor, in Delta, Pennsylvania, after the station closed in 1974.
Corrosion concerns led EM to initiate transfers of the fuel storage baskets from first-generation vaults to second-generation vaults, which provide a more controlled storage environment.
The second-generation vaults are of superior construction. They allow for the removal of water using the vault sump and have been reinforced with a support plate and rod. The transfers by Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC) place the fuel in a configuration where it can be stored safely for years to come.
Jay Schnelle, IEC spent nuclear fuel shift operations senior manager, attributes the success of the project to the spent nuclear fuel workforce at the INL Site’s Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center. That team has reduced the amount of time it takes to complete each transfer from as many as eight shifts down to five, while maintaining strict safety standards.
“Our workforce has the training and skillset to do this work safely and effectively,” Schnelle said. “Their experience has not only improved processes but has allowed us to get the work done ahead of schedule.”
The fuel transfers began in fiscal year 2022, and IEC expects to complete 40 transfers by the end of fiscal year 2025. To date, 30 transfers, or 75% of the total transfers, have been completed.
After that work is finished, the Peach Bottom fuel will remain in dry storage until it is packaged and shipped from Idaho for permanent disposal.
-Contributor: Carter Harrison
 A wildlife biologist removes a western burrowing owl from an artificial burrow while inspecting nests. Ongoing conservation efforts like these earned the Hanford Site this year’s Presidential Migratory Bird Federal Stewardship Award.
RICHLAND, Wash. — Hanford Site wildlife biologists take great care in protecting migratory birds.
The environmental team with U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) contractor Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) conducts bird nest surveys prior to any work activities on the ground.
The team advises other Hanford contractors on protecting nesting areas for bald eagles, ferruginous hawks and other species. They also monitor migratory birds and work to conserve habitats and prey for sensitive species.
“More than 200 species of protected migratory birds pass through the Hanford Site each year,” said Tammy Maruska, EM Ecological Monitoring Program manager. “Sitewide conservation of these sensitive species is another way we can provide environmental support during the cleanup mission.”
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The ferruginous hawk is one of more than 200 migratory birds that visits the Hanford Site. |
In 2019, wildlife biologists found only three western burrowing owl breeding pairs remaining onsite. Since then, the environmental team has placed more than 70 artificial burrows, and now there are more than 30 breeding pairs.
Hanford’s Ecological Monitoring and Compliance Program includes partnerships with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Global Owl Project, a collaborative effort to research, track and preserve owl habitat.
“It is important to share the work we do at Hanford,” said Justin Wilde, an HMIS environmental team biologist. “Gaining knowledge and sharing information with other agencies and avian groups benefits the conservation of migratory birds beyond our site boundaries.”
The importance of the work and the accomplishments of the Hanford Site team were recognized in June by this year’s Presidential Migratory Bird Federal Stewardship Award. The annual award presented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Council for the Conservation of Migratory Birds honors groups whose actions are focused on migratory bird conservation.
-Contributor: Melissa Ver Steeg
 Greg Sosson, associate principal deputy assistant secretary for field operations for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM), gives the keynote address at the 3rd Annual DOE EM Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program Achievement Workshop. (Photo Credit: Justin Crawford)
AUGUSTA, Ga. — More than 240 people gathered for the 3rd Annual Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program (EM MSIPP) Achievement Workshop in Augusta earlier this month.
Hurricane Debby, which struck the southeastern United States the same week as the workshop, created travel challenges for many attendees. “Despite the travel challenges I had due to the weather, I can say it was completely worth it,” said Natalia Soares Quinete, assistant professor for chemistry and biochemistry, Florida International University. The workshop highlighted new initiatives and program improvements as EM federal and DOE laboratory staff joined support contractors, students and principal investigators to celebrate the 10th anniversary of EM MSIPP.
Workshop participants traveled from 20 states and Puerto Rico, and represented five national laboratories, EM headquarters, and 43 colleges and universities. EM staff from the Energy Technology Engineering Center in California, Oak Ridge in Tennessee, and Savannah River Site in South Carolina also attended. Greg Sosson, EM’s associate principal deputy assistant secretary for field operations, gave the keynote address. He encouraged students to take advantage of the unique group of attendees to grow their professional and educational networks.
The workshop offered a variety of programming for students and principal investigators, with the goal of furthering engagement with EM and EM MSIPP. Principal investigators took part in a session focused on applying for grants and competitive research awards, reporting and managing EM grants, and the future of the EM mission. Students engaged in sessions focused on networking and career readiness.
 From left, panel moderator LaTosha Glover, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program Savannah River National Laboratory program coordinator, speaks with panelists Melissa Frank-Alston, provost, Augusta Technical College; Forest Mahan, president, Aiken Technical College; and Willie L. Todd, president, Denmark Technical College. (Photo Credit: Justin Crawford)
Additionally, attendees reviewed more than 60 posters at the principal investigator poster session, received a free professional headshot, viewed demonstrations of grant research, and attended presentations given by 24 student scholars as part of STEM IGNITE. The three-minute presentations provided opportunities for students to practice their public speaking skills as they shared overviews of their EM MSIPP funded research performed in conjunction with their sites or MSI institutions.
Each day of the workshop featured a special presentation during a working lunch. On the first day, attendees received a presentation from Emma Norman, department chair, Native Environmental Science Program, Northwest Indian College. Norman gave an overview of the college’s use of the grant they received from EM MSIPP and how that funding is incorporated into the college’s core value: Schtәngәxʷәn (sha-teng-en), the responsibility to protect our territory by taking care of the land, water and everything in it.
On the second day, nine past and present EM MSIPP participants joined a roundtable discussion to share how EM MSIPP impacted their educational journey and shaped their career choices. A second panel discussed the important impact two-year institutions can have on EM science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) research and the workforce pipeline. The robust panel discussion led to new ideas for partnerships among two-year institutions and their four-year counterparts, as well as national laboratories and industry partners.
At the conclusion of the workshop, attendees left with new connections and a better understanding of the EM MSIPP components and the avenues of funding available to them.
-Contributors: Tammy Newman, Lauren Zack
 A soil vapor extraction unit is used to remove contaminant mass from the soil and prevent further impacts to groundwater at the Savannah River Site.
AIKEN, S.C. — U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) crews successfully completed cleanup of pits and trenches used during the Cold War era to burn and bury accumulated waste from the site’s A Area that had contaminated the surrounding soil and groundwater.
To clean up the contaminated soil and groundwater, crews with EM contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) completed remedial actions identified by a team consisting of members from DOE, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and South Carolina Department of Environmental Services. Workers placed a vegetative soil cover over the areas to reduce precipitation from moving contamination deeper into the subsurface.
Crews then used a process known as soil vapor extraction (SVE) in two phases to remove the contaminant mass from the soil and prevent further impacts to groundwater. In the first phase, known as active SVE, a high-energy vacuum unit removed contaminants. In this process, wells deep underground connected to an SVE machine at the surface that applied a vacuum to the wells and extracted vapors containing volatile organic compounds. The vapors were treated and released into the atmosphere, where they typically vaporize into the air.
In the second phase, passive SVE drew from natural resources, such as pumps powered by solar panels, to continue removing contamination.
“The phased SVE approach allows for optimizing the removal of contaminant mass from the subsurface while reducing cost for operations and maintenance,” says Joao Cardoso-Neto, project task team lead. “During active SVE operation, the direct cost of operations and maintenance averaged approximately $150,000 per year, which was reduced to approximately $60,000 per year during low-energy and passive SVE operation.”
 MicroBlowers and BaroBalls, pictured, prove to be a sustainable and cost-effective method for groundwater remediation at the Savannah River Site.
Sustainable green technologies, including solar-powered SVE units such as MicroBlowers, are an example of passive cleanup. These units are designed to generate a vacuum that exhausts contaminants from designated wells. Each unit requires only 20 to 40 watts of power, easily produced by a small solar panel. Another passive SVE technology, called BaroBalls, makes it possible to pump contaminants from the subsurface by harnessing natural changes in barometric pressure.
Cumulatively, these technologies are proving to be a cost-efficient means of reducing risk to human health and the environment, and they’re shortening the time needed for site cleanup. From 2001 to 2017, active SVE systems removed over 300 pounds of chlorinated solvents, and from 2004 to 2023, the MicroBlowers and BaroBalls removed approximately 150 pounds of chlorinated solvents.
Declining contaminant concentrations indicate the SVE system is effectively meeting cleanup objectives.
“With the MicroBlowers and BaroBalls getting the job done, the active SVE unit is no longer needed and can be permanently removed from service,” says Eric Schiefer, an SRNS engineer with the project team.
The active SVE system was dismantled and removed from the site this past spring after it was permanently shut down in 2018. Passive SVE continues to operate. However, based on diminishing contaminant mass removal rates, the project team conducted a series of soil samples. Sampling was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the low-energy, passive SVE units and to determine if cleanup goals had been achieved. Results from the soil sampling should be able to provide evidence that the low-energy, passive SVE system has achieved all cleanup goals and can also be permanently shut down.
-Contributor: Fallan Flatow
 Sofia Enriquez, right, with mentor Mike Erickson, Newport News Nuclear BWXT Environmental Remediation Water Program director. Enriquez created a program for users to generate geophysical well log cross-sections to assist in further interpretation of the lithology of the aquifer beneath Los Alamos National Laboratory.
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. – U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office legacy cleanup contractor Newport News Nuclear BWXT (N3B) closed out another successful 10-week summer internship program in August with presentations by this year’s three interns, Sofia Enriquez, Sam Gervais and Erin Stucky.
Over the past 10 weeks, Enriquez created a program for users to generate visual geophysical well log cross-sections, a valuable analytical tool that adds spatial context to the well logs with data about the physical properties of the materials within and surrounding the well bore. This program will significantly decrease time spent graphing and allow for more advanced interpretations of the lithology and characteristics of the aquifer beneath Los Alamos National Laboratory, aiding in the investigation of plumes containing chromium and other contamination.
This was Enriquez’s second summer internship with N3B, and she also worked for the company during her 2023 winter break. Enriquez’s hometown is Los Alamos, and she will be a junior at Colorado School of Mines this fall.
“I liked having a major project to work on this summer,” Enriquez said. “It made me feel I was making a bigger contribution. And in the course of working and reporting to meetings, I got a very good feel for the kind of work I might be engaged in for my future career to positively impact groundwater protection.”
 Sam Gervais, left, with mentor Brian Caldwell, Newport News Nuclear BWXT engineering director. Gervais designed a generator uninterruptible power supply system for the Technical Area (TA)-54 Operations Center and helped replace the heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit at Building 2 in TA-54 during his 10-week internship.
It was Gervais’ fourth year as a summer intern with N3B. This summer, he designed a generator uninterruptible power supply system to ensure the Technical Area (TA)-54 Operations Center would have power during an outage. Gervais also helped replace the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system at TA-54 Building 2 and was engaged with design work for the TA-54 Dome 375, among other projects.
“This year was especially rewarding because I was able to branch out in my own projects and become more immersed within a professional setting,” Gervais said.
Gervais hails from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and will be a senior at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo this fall, completing his degree in electrical engineering with a concentration in power systems.
 Erin Stucky, right, with mentor Cami Charonko, Newport News Nuclear BWXT Environmental Remediation Water Program project manager. Stucky helped with stormwater and groundwater monitoring projects, analyzed per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances data, quality-checked well completion reports and reviewed documents related to the stormwater telemetry system.
Stucky spent much of her time this summer learning about and helping with stormwater and groundwater monitoring projects, analyzing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) data, quality-checking well completion reports and organizing documents related to the stormwater telemetry system. What really made an impact on her, however, was her work in the field.
“I learned how engineering processes and issues were carried forward and the interconnectivity of the various functions in groundwater testing,” Stucky said. “I loved seeing how everything we discussed in meetings was later addressed in the field — making that connection to the physical environment.”
A native of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Stucky will be a junior at the University of Colorado Boulder, working toward her environmental engineering degree with a mathematics minor.
Brad Smith, N3B president and general manager, followed the internships closely.
“We do everything we can to expose our interns to real world environmental and workplace situations to make internships as valuable as possible,” Smith said. “We also gain from the experience. We benefit from the interns’ skills and perspectives, and, just as important, every person and team they work with is invigorated by their energy and passion. Plus, at the team level, when we teach, we learn, and that helps reinforce safe actions and processes. It’s a win-win arrangement.”
-Contributor: Brian Leugs
 Patrick Lazenby of Nye County Emergency Management directs a plume of water combined with F-500 solution from a newly purchased trailer. The trailer and solution were secured by the rural Nevada county using grant money provided by the U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management Nevada Program.
LAS VEGAS — Firefighters in Nye County, Nevada, will have advanced new equipment to combat fires thanks to grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management (EM) Nevada Program.
The Emergency Preparedness Working Group (EPWG) grant has delivered over $16.3 million in funds to counties near the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) since 2000.
“We talk a lot about how fortunate we are to have these grants because it allows us to meet our objectives and ensure a safe environment,” said Scott Lewis, Nye County director of emergency management and Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue chief.
Nye County is a mostly rural county that encompasses the NNSS and is located about an hour's drive from Las Vegas. The county recently used grant money to purchase a fire suppression agent known as F-500. It is a solution that combines with water to more effectively quench flames. The F-500 agent is similar in appearance to previously used foaming agents, but it offers a host of benefits. One immediate advantage in the desert climate of Nye County is less water usage.
 A look at one of the F-500 trailers, left, and the portable container packs, right.
First responders from across Nye County, including representatives of the Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue, Beatty Volunteer Fire, Tonopah Volunteer Fire, and the Nye County Department of Emergency Management, gathered this summer for an education session held at the Pahrump Valley fire station.
“Our goal, because we don’t have a lot of water available to use on the highways, was to minimize the water aspect and ascertain a product that would allow us to best maximize our suppression efforts,” Lewis said.
Another critical benefit of F-500 is improved safety for firefighters. Previous versions of firefighting foams have been known to contain carcinogenic fluorides and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS. The F-500 agent does not contain PFAS. It is fluorine free, noncorrosive and biodegradable.
“Some of the components built into previous foams have been found to be cancerous,” Lewis said. “So, we were looking for a different option, something that we would be able to utilize on our major transportation corridors as well as our local fires where there are severe events.”
F-500 also reduces firefighter exposure to heat, decreases contact with soot and smoke, and can combat all types of fires, including lithium-ion battery fires.
 At left, a Pahrump firefighter practices using a small dose of the F-500 material. At right, classroom training was held at the Pahrump Valley fire station.
After the classroom session, firefighters took the equipment to a nearby training ground to test the F-500 and learn how to use it in a controlled setting. The F-500 material and training sessions were funded through the EPWG grant. Additional purchases of F-500 will use those funds as well. The county purchased two large trailers that can hold the solution and deploy it when equipped with a delivery mechanism. One trailer will be stationed in southern Nye County and the other in northern Nye County. They also obtained a set of smaller portable containers.
"Everything is in support of community, safety and community service,” Lewis said.
For the six rural Nevada counties that participate, the EPWG grant is a vital means for adequately supplying emergency response teams with the resources they need. Esmeralda County, which has a population of less than 1,000, purchased a fire engine this year with EPWG funds. The engine is designed to be a multifaceted response vehicle and is equipped with radiological monitoring equipment. It will be used throughout the county and along Highway 95, where it can offer mutual aid to Nye County.
“These funds, for a very small county, go a very long way,” said Paul Melendrez, coordinator for the Esmeralda County Department of Emergency Management. “The majority of what we do is funded by the EPWG grant.”
 A look at the Esmeralda County ambulance and fire engine purchased using Emergency Preparedness Working Group funds.
Esmeralda County used grant money to help with the purchase of an ambulance in 2022. The vehicle is equipped with four-wheel drive, which is a necessity when navigating desert terrain. The county uses EPWG funds to support equipment, training and personnel. They plan to offer additional training for their emergency response teams later this year.
The EM Nevada Program funds the EPWG grant based on 50 cents per cubic foot of waste disposed at the NNSS low-level radioactive waste disposal facility. Counties receiving funding are eligible for the grant because waste shipments have passed through their territory en route to the NNSS. Funding is distributed through the State of Nevada Division of Emergency Management to Clark, Elko, Esmeralda, Lincoln, Nye, and White Pine counties.
-Contributors: Grant Johnson, Kevin Knapp
RICHLAND, Wash. — A partnership between the Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant and Oregon State University recently provided an engineering student with a unique opportunity. Caden Littrell was the first-ever student to job shadow in the plant’s engineering department. He spent a day learning engineering disciplines, meeting with engineers and touring the plant. The partnership supports student senior projects, job shadowing and recruitment opportunities for summer internships and entry-level positions. It is one of several programs Hanford contractor Bechtel National Inc. and its teaming partner, Amentum, sponsor that promote innovation and a skilled future workforce.
 A new apprenticeship program at Savannah River Site hones in on potential project controls, a skill in high demand. From left: Daniel Faulk with WesWorks; apprentices Tatyana Edwards, Brendan Robertson, Nicholas David, Lora Saverance, Cailyn Dutton and Anna McNamee; Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) Optimization and Integration Director Michael Borders; and SRMC President and Program Manager Dave Olson.
EM's liquid waste contractor at Savannah River Site partnered with a woman-owned small business and Aiken Technical College to create apprenticeship
AIKEN, S.C. — A contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management at the Savannah River Site (SRS) launched a new apprenticeship program this month focused on potential project controls, a skill in high demand.
This WesWorks apprentice program is an initiative of SRS liquid waste contractor Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC). WesWorks, a woman-owned small business and protégé of SRMC, is an integrated subcontractor that manages project controls scope.
Project control employees at SRMC typically perform critical work that includes examining the scope of the project, assessing risk, creating baseline schedules and forecasts, and determining budget and schedule, among other tasks. The apprenticeship is designed to create the opportunity for an introduction to project controls and estimating principles with the opportunity to gain knowledge through mentorship with experienced employees.
The first class of six students began Aug.12. They’re expected to graduate in May 2025.
The apprenticeship program, approved by the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, and Apprenticeship Carolina, allows participants to be paid to work in SRMC’s project controls area while also learning the fundaments of the tasks at Aiken Technical College (Aiken Tech). The apprentices are working in a half-dozen major facilities that SRMC operates.
SRMC approached Aiken Tech about creating such a program because of the difficulty in finding certified project control employees, according to SRMC President and Program Manager Dave Olson.
“At SRS, we have many skills and disciplines needed to conduct all the work that has to be accomplished for DOE,” Olson said. “However, the specialized skills of project controls personnel are among the most difficult to find across the country. There is an incredibly high need, and the supply is extremely limited. I commend WesWorks for stepping up to help create a new pipeline of these professionals.”
Aiken Tech President Forest Mahan said his college has a flexible, nimble attitude toward assisting business and industry with educating a future workforce.
“Our power as a technical college lies in our ability to keep pace with changing industries and demands over time and provide the education needed,” Mahan said. “This apprenticeship not only demonstrates we can quickly meet a need, but we are providing the fundamentals needed to help local citizens get good-paying, lasting jobs.”
-Contributor: Dean Campbell
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