www.epa.gov
MAKING A HIFPSlSSiaiiS^ IN THE COMMUNITY:
Cycle I of the Superfund Job Training Initiative in South Carolina
INTRODUCTION
The Savannah River Site Superfund Job Training Initiative
(SuperJTI) Cycle I is an environmental remediation job training
program that provided career development opportunities for 20
trainees living near the Savannah River Site (SRS) in south-
central South Carolina. SRS SuperJTI is the first Superfund
job training program in the nation to be conducted at a federal
facility.
In 2009, through a partnership with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE), site contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, Aiken
Technical College and The Imani Group, SRS SuperJTI Cycle I
provided local job-seekers with new skills and work experience.
EPA's goal is to help the community create job opportunities and
partnerships that remain in place for the long term.
CANDIDATE OUTREACH, RECRUITMENT AND
SCREENING: JANUARY 2009 - MAY 2009
SRS SuperJTI Cycle I staff and community partner The
Imani Group distributed fliers and hosted orientation sessions
to publicize the job training program and attract potential
participants. More than 350 interested candidates attended
the program's five orientation sessions in several surrounding
communities: Allendale, Aiken and Barnwell counties in South
Carolina and Richmond County in Georgia. Following these
sessions, almost 200 people completed a preliminary testing
stage and 113 of those participants were invited to attend the
program's tryouts. Of those invitees, 90 participants decided to
continue with the program tryouts.
Program tryouts were conducted over two days and included
leadership, team building and role-playing activities, basic
physical fitness evaluation, and observation by a team of 20
evaluators representing the project's partners. Following the
tryouts, 20 trainees were selected.
I U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
I Technical Assistance Services for Communities
South Carolina
Georgia
Charleston
Savannah
RiuerSite
Savannah
Atlantic Ocean
SITE HISTORY
SRS is a 310-square mile former nuclear materials
fabrication facility located adjacent to the Savannah River
in Aiken and Barnwell counties, South Carolina. SRS
operated from 1950 to 1988, producing primarily tritium
and plutonium-239 in reactors built on site. These materials
were used for the creation of nuclear weapons as well as for
the space program and medical and industrial research. Past
disposal practices of chemical and radioactive wastes led to
soil and ground water contamination near SRS. Cleanup
activities at the site have been ongoing since 1989. To
date, more than 324 of the site's 515 waste areas have been
closed. Other cleanup activities have included the treatment
of billions of gallons of ground water. The site's cleanup is
scheduled for completion in 2025.
While portions of SRS are in the cleanup phase, SRS
is also still a functioning DOE facility. Over 14,000
people are currently employed at SRS by DOE and its
contractors, making it one of the primary employers in the
area. In 2003, SRS was selected as the location for three
new plutonium facilities, for mixed oxide (MOX) fuel
fabrication, pit disassembly and conversion, and plutonium
immobilization. SRS is also home to the Savannah River
National Laboratory.
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TRAINING: JUNE 2009 - JULY 2009
The SRS SuperJTI Cycle I training consisted of two parts
and took place over the course of five weeks.
• Pre-Employment and Lifeskills Training: Trainees
completed two weeks of courses including cultural
competency, money management, environmental justice
and effective work habits. The training was provided by
project staff and community partner The Imani Group.
• Technical Training: Trainees completed the 40-hour
Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response
(HAZWOPER) training as well as CPR and first aid
training. They also completed courses in math, computer
skills and valving. The training was provided by Aiken
Technical College and the Aiken Red Cross.
Upon completion of the program, trainees possess the
marketable skills needed to begin a successful career in
environmental remediation and become valuable members
of the community's workforce.
THE SRS SUPERJTI CYCLE I TRAINEES:
• Include a significant number of women as well
as men. The trainees include seven women and
13 men.
• Live in geographically diverse areas. The 20
trainees hail from the two states and five counties
surrounding SRS.
• Include primarily younger trainees. Fifteen
trainees are in their 20s. Five trainees are in their
30s or older.
SRS SuperJTI Cycle I is one of the many SuperJTI job training
projects nationwide that are making a difference for underserved
citizens living in communities affected by Superfund sites.
JOB PLACEMENT AND FOLLOW-UP:
AUGUST 2009 - AUGUST 2010
After graduation, trainees interviewed with project partner
and site contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions for
available positions. Sixteen graduates were placed into
positions as nuclear production operators and material
handlers.
SRS SuperJTI Cycle I staff conducted program follow-
up with the graduates and their supervisors for one year
following job placement. After one year of follow-up, all 16
graduates are employed, have received raises, and several
have been promoted. In April 2010, the graduates met with
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to discuss the program and
working at SRS. All 16 are continuing employment with
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions.
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SRS SUPERJTI CYCLE I COMMUNITY PROFILES: Making a Difference
Leslie Hartley was ready for a change. The former computer technician and coffee shop barista
had been working odd jobs for two years, and was looking for a steady career path. He was in
choir rehearsal in Aiken, South Carolina when he heard about SRS SuperJTI from project
manager Tiffany Reed. After attending the initial orientation, Leslie found the program's
^t physical fitness, role playing and leadership tryout activities exhilarating. "It was really a
freeing experience, especially when you've been out of work and you tend to draw back
a bit into a shell," he said. "If you allow yourself to be vulnerable and leave everything in
the open, then that's when you've really won." Leslie was chosen as one of the program's
20 trainees.
^nce enrolled in SRS SuperJTI, Leslie particularly enjoyed the Hazardous Waste Operations
I Emergency Response course taught at Aiken Technical College. "It was fantastic," he said.
Now employed with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions as an Operator at SRS, the program's
d| training has proved essential. In order to qualify as a K-Area Building Operator at SRS, Leslie
trained for over 300 hours. But he isn't complaining. Looking back on SRS SuperJTI, Leslie said, "It
has really been an amazing program. It has changed my life completely."
After hearing about SRS SuperJTI from her mother-in-law, Jessica McCain attended an orientation session and
was impressed by the program. This certified phlebotomist had been unemployed for two years. Jessica
knew that if she was accepted into the program, there was a possibility for a career at SRS, one of ,^f
the most prestigious employers in the area. After continuing with the program's rigorous three-
phase recruitment process, Jessica was selected as one of the program's trainees.
According to Jessica, SRS SuperJTI's two-week Lifeskills training changed her entire
outlook. "It made me do a whole 180 with mv life," she said. "Without it, I don't know
to someone with a career." The training's application also extended beyond Jessica's
professional life: "I became a better mother, a better family person. I don't know
where I would be without it." After graduating from the program, Jessica was hired as a
Production Trainee by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions. Jessica said that her favorite
parts of employment at SRS are the work atmosphere and excellent benefits. "Being around
the professionals at SRS, you learn something every day. It's very informative," she said.
Jessica has high hopes for her future at SRS and plans to work there indefinitely.
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Buddy Broomfield, then a student at Denmark Technical College in Barnwell, South Carolina,
learned about SRS SuperJTI's orientation sessions from his father. He decided to attend,
passed the required testing, and continued to the program tryouts. Buddy found taking
part in tryouts activities to be a lesson in teamwork. "The process was pretty interesting,
because you're working with total strangers, and with each activity, you have to come
together as one team," he reflected. Following two days of tryouts, Buddy was selected
as a trainee.
A former mechanic and car detailer, Buddy found the technical training to be the most
beneficial part of the program. He especially enjoyed the Hazardous Waste Operations
and Emergency Response course because it provided him with new skills and fostered
group collaboration. Buddy successfully completed the program in July 2009, and is
now employed as a Warehouse Material Handler for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions
at SRS. Buddy appreciates that his job includes both computer and warehouse work.
He also likes that the company's Human Resources Department is there to assist with his
professional growth. "You actually have people there who will support you as you work in
"ferent positions," he said. Above all, Buddy is grateful for the chance to prove himself: "I can't
say thank you enough for the opportunity."
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What is the SuperJTI Program?
www.epa.gov/superfund/community/sfjti
The Superfund Job Training Initiative, or SuperJTI, supports job readiness programs in
communities affected by nearby Superfund sites and encourages the employment of
trainees at local site cleanups. The SuperJTI program combines extensive classroom
instruction with hands-on work experience for each participant. Upon completion of
the program, each participant possesses the marketable skills required to become a
valuable member of the community's workforce. EPA offers SuperJTI training through
its Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) contract at no cost to training
participants.
L
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (5204P)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20460
EPA 540-FS-09-129 I February 2011 I www.epa.gov/superfund/community/tasc
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