Savannah River Site Adds Youth Apprenticeship Roles to Workforce Development Initiative
Six youth apprentices are working this year through the program, which welcomes high school students from Aiken, Columbia, and Richmond counties.
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.
Image Courtesy SRSThe Savannah River Site Youth Apprenticeship Program introduced two new roles in 2025. Six youth apprentices are working this year through the program, which welcomes high school students from Aiken, Columbia, and Richmond counties. The new positions include junior project controls engineer and junior business analyst.
"These apprentices are eager to learn, quick to adapt, and excelling in their new roles," said Kaci Prouty, SRNS project controls administrative assistant, per the U.S. Department of Energy. "By beginning their careers while still in high school, they are setting a high standard for future program participants."
The Youth Apprenticeship Program operates as part of the SRS Apprenticeship School and its 29 registered apprenticeships. Since its sitewide expansion in 2020, the school has graduated nearly 850 apprentices. Of those, 91% secured full-time positions at the site.
McKayla Smith, a business analyst, youth apprentice, and Midland Valley High School senior, represents four generations of family members who have worked at the site. "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," Smith said.
Carson Williams serves as an information technology youth apprentice. He's a North Augusta High School senior pursuing his CompTIA Cloud+ certification. Williams hopes to work in cybersecurity or software engineering after completing the program.
Oscar Rushton, Aiken County Public School District work-based learning coordinator, praised the partnership between education and industry. "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.
Many youth apprentices plan to pursue related fields in college. Then they'll return to the facility as adult apprentices or take on full-time positions.
