Newly hired SRNS crane operators Aisha Martin (foreground) and Nick Demko, both military veterans, work together to become familiar with the various types of cranes used at SRS as a part of their site orientation and job training program.
AIKEN, S.C., May 2, 2019 – Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) has hired more than 3,000 employees since October of 2014 and expects the recent increase in annual hiring to continue.
SRNS hired 552 employees last year, the most hired by the site management and operations contractor since the 1990s and has already hired over 900 new employees in fiscal year 2019.
"Our plans are to hire approximately 750 new employees a year for the next two years and quite possibly beyond that point," said SRNS President Stuart MacVean. "We have enduring missions to perform involving nuclear materials management, environmental stewardship and the Savannah River National Laboratory, as examples. Performing these missions safely, securely and efficiently requires we maintain certain levels of staffing throughout our organization."
Carol Barry, SRNS Senior Vice President, Workforce Services, explained that there are two primary reasons for this need to hire in such large numbers, an increased level in retirements and new missions.
"Like most companies across the U.S., the Baby Boomer Generation has reached an age where retirement has become practical and attractive," said Barry. "We have over 6,000 employees and will continue to see a significant percentage choose retirement. We expect that trend to continue for several years."
SRNS is also in the process of obtaining the resources necessary to support the proposed Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility. "Though still early in the development of this proposed new mission, we have a need at this time to fill openings in several key areas, such as design engineering and project management," said Barry.
The impact on and partnership with nearby technical colleges and universities is noteworthy as well.
"We are seeing the fruits of our investment in these schools," said Barry. "We've formed Memorandums of Agreement and worked closely with their officials to ensure they understand our employment requirements. And, as a result, we have synergistically worked together to create curriculum to meet these needs."
According to Barry, this has resulted in a situation where local colleges and universities are attracting students who are aware that their odds of being hired straight out of school into a stable, well paid job are greatly increased due to this mutually beneficial arrangement.
"I think it's important to keep in mind that we are not just filling job openings, we're offering careers within our extended family," said MacVean. "Which is why over the past five years, 80 percent of our new hires are local residents.
"One of our primary goals is to ensure SRNS has a diverse, agile and engaged workforce in place for the future that will positively impact SRS and the community we work and live in," he added.
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