Impact Spring 2018

News for Your Company from Tri-County Technical College

Oconee Campus to Open in August

Spring 2018

From the President

TCTC Meets Workforce Needs

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ur corner of the Upstate is home to industry-leading manufacturing companies who could have located anywhere in the world, but chose Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties to call home.

Dr. Ronnie L. Booth There are many reasons, including global access, quality of life, incentives, and a favorable business climate.

What’s Inside

But, hands down, the main reason companies choose our corner of the Upstate to do business is the availability of a trained and ready workforce.

First Michelin Manufacturing Scholars Graduate

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Koyo Builds Workforce with Tri-County Grads

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Jim Kaplan Named To Commission

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HAAS Foundation Supports CNC Scholarships 4

A recent example is Arthrex, an international leader in medical device manufacturing. Arthrex cites Tri-County Technical College as one of the main reasons they chose Anderson County to be the location of its $30 million, 200,000-squarefoot manufacturing facility. Arthrex is counting on Tri-County to develop a strong pipeline of qualified manufacturing personnel to fill 1,000 new jobs it is creating in Anderson County, just a few miles down the road from our Pendleton Campus and almost directly across from our Industrial Technology Center.

The same is true for other companies that recently Continued on page 2

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onstruction of the Oconee Campus is on track for a fall 2018 opening.

The Oconee Industry and Technology Park, located on Highway 11 in Westminster, will colocate the Oconee Campus, a new Career Center servicing the Oconee County School District, and industry. The result will be a unique center for technical education, work-based learning, and economic development. The project is a partnership between the College, the School District of Oconee County, and Oconee County.

“In a couple of years, the high school Career Center will be constructed on the site. We can’t find an example of these three entities in the same location anywhere,” said Dr. Brian Swords, senior director of community campuses. “This is a new model which has opened the doors for discussions on partnerships, operational pieces, and pathways,” he said.

“By locating on the same site, it opens up an array of different opportunities for our students and the students who will be attending the new Oconee County School District Career and Technology Center.” said Brian.

“Instead of high school students having to drive to different facilities to take advantage of dual credit and pathway opportunities, now they will simply walk across the courtyard and go from a high school facility to a college campus.”

Rather than purchase similar equipment at two locations, both can share some of the same equipment Continued on page 4

Dr. Booth

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announced openings and/or expansions, such as TTI in Anderson County, PG Aerospace and era-contact USA in Pickens County; and BorgWarner and United Tool and Mold in Oconee County. All of them can count on Tri-County Technical College’s complete support during start-up and expansion—now and in all the years to come.

Tri-County is committed to meeting your demand for skilled technicians in fields like mechatronics, industrial electronics, business, and IT—employees who have both the skills and the work ethic to make your company successful. We take that challenge and responsibility very seriously, and we are well-known across the State for our innovative approaches to addressing these needs. Many of our programs, such as Technical Career Pathways for high school students and the new Michelin Manufacturing Scholars, which you will read about elsewhere in this newsletter, serve as models for our sister institutions to emulate.

We appreciate your confidence in our ability to help your company be successful and look forward to our continued work together.

Ronnie L. Booth, Ph.D. President

Impact is published three times each year by the Office of the President and the Public Relations Department.

Campus Contact Information P.O. Box 587, Pendleton, SC 29760 Pendleton Campus..................864-646-8361 Anderson Campus...................864-260-6700 Easley Campus............................ 864-220-8000 Oconee Campus........................ 864-886-4555 Toll-Free (864 area code).... 1-866-269-5677 TDD/Voice............................ 1-800-735-2905 Website...................................... www.tctc.edu

First Michelin Manufacturing Scholars Graduate

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ast fall Michelin North America and the College partnered to launch a first-of-its-kind and first-in-theState Manufacturing Scholars Program designed to build and grow the workforce of the future.

The first cohort of Michelin Manufacturing Scholars graduated in December 2017, and all completers were hired into fulltime jobs with the company.

The first class of Michelin Manufacturing Scholars graduated December 19.

Pictured left to right are Alma Mauss, Jacob Jackson, Aaron Turner, Zachary Rollins, and Kenneth Dargan.

“Anderson is a great place to start this program,” Melanie McLane, facility personnel manager for Michelin’s manufacturing facilities in Anderson County, said at the announcement in 2017. “We all have a need for operators, but this program goes deeper than just recruiting operators—we are looking for manufacturing professionals.”

“It is the first of its kind in the State and will serve as a model for the other Michelin plants and technical colleges in South Carolina,” added Dr. Booth.

“This is not a job training program,” said Galen DeHay, senior vice president at Tri-County.

“It’s a program that helps students to transition from low-wage jobs or unemployment into a manufacturing career with a company that cares for them and their future.”

The Michelin Manufacturing Scholars program is designed for entry-level manufacturing professionals and is a pathway leading to manufacturing careers with Michelin. The onesemester program is customized to meet the needs Michelin has for qualified entry-level manufacturing professionals at their two plants in the College’s service area—US 2 in Sandy Springs and US 8 in Starr.

It includes a thirteen-credit-hour Manufacturing Operator I certificate and paid work hours each week for extensive hands-on training at Michelin. Students earn a College certificate and two industry-recognized national certifications. Upon successful completion of all program and employment requirements, participants receive an offer of full-time employment and the opportunity to continue their education toward an associate degree.

“It is about broadening the concept of our current Michelin Technical Scholars program by expanding it and doing something new and different for manufacturing professionals while facilitating growth within our company and the community,” said McLane.

“This is the Cadillac of partnerships,” said DeHay. “We have a shared set of values for building a strong community.”

“It’s very clear that the work that has been done through the partnership of Tri-County and Michelin’s Anderson facility will set the stage for the tremendous possibilities for other manufacturing and technical college partnerships across the state,” said Mike Williams, facility personnel manager for Michelin’s manufacturing facility in Lexington, S.C., who also serves as an advocate on the State level for workforce development.

For more information, contact Julianne DiCicco-Wiles at jdicicco@tctc.edu or 646-1596.

Tri-County Technical College does not discriminate in admission or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, qualifying disability, veteran’s status, or national origin.

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Koyo Builds Its Workforce with Tri-County Graduates

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s a growing number of its longtime associates move toward retirement, Koyo Bearings in West Union is preparing for the transition by steadily building its pipeline of skilled employees with Tri-County Technical College graduates.

“We communicate with the Career Center and Tri-County to hire students who can co-op in high school and continue with us when they are enrolled in a degree program at Tri-County,” said Kellie Smith-Boone, senior HR analyst.

Jim Kaplan Named to Tri-County’s Commission

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A group of Koyo employees, who are Tri-County alumni, pose with Kellie Smith-Boone, senior HR analyst and an alumna herself.

“Our senior employees take with them a wealth of knowledge and expertise, so we are continuously recruiting because these jobs take years to train for. By identifying future retirements, we are preparing ourselves to recruit and retain the best,” she added.

“Many associates we hire are current Tri-County students or graduates. It’s always good to see Tri-County Technical College listed on most of the resumes that come across my desk,” said Boone, who received an associate in Arts degree in 2001 before transferring to Limestone College to earn a bachelor’s degree.

She says she is appreciative of the dual enrollment partnership between Tri-County and career centers, which gives qualifying high school students the opportunity to gain high school and college credits at the same time by taking college-level courses in their high schools or career centers, as well as on Tri-County’s campuses or online.

Often, these dual enrollment students have a year of college under their belt when they graduate from high school and have only a year left to complete the TriCounty degree.

“We are super excited about the Oconee Campus opening this fall and its proximity to the plant, making it easier for our associates to take classes and take advantage of our tuition reimbursement plan,” she said.

Koyo employees who earn A’s and B’s in associate degree and bachelor’s degree programs receive 100 percent reimbursement—up to $25,500, she said. “It’s a win for everyone.”

Certification (SCMC) class taught though Tri-County’s Corporate and Community Education Division.

The SCMC training is a 200-hour curriculum that includes the opportunity to earn eleven nationally-recognized credentials.

Topics include industrial safety, quality, blueprints and measurement, production processes and some basic understanding of industrial equipment and maintenance.

Participants may earn an OSHA 10-hour safety card, a Lean Six Sigma yellow belt certification and national MSSC credentials.

“The key is to practice what they are learning in class at Tri-County and put it into perspective here,” said Boone.

“Our employees are paired with a mentor along the way. They are able to progress while in high school through the Youth Apprenticeship Program and when they enroll at Tri-County they enter the Adult Apprenticeship Carolina Program.”

Tool and die maker Johnathan Smith took Machine Tool classes at West-Oak High School and began working at Koyo his senior year. He earned a scholarship to attend Tri-County’s CNC program and graduated in 2008.

He trained with mentors in the machine shop (for a year) and advanced to another year of training with a mentor in the Tool and Die Department in preparation for full-time employment.

The degree allowed him to develop his skills and accelerate faster, he said. “Earning a degree from Tri-County was a good decision; it makes finding work easier.”

im Kaplan, of Pickens, has been appointed to Tri-County Technical College’s Commission, the nine-member governing board of the College.

Pickens County Council appointed Mr. Kaplan to the Commission, effective in April. His term expires April 2021.

“I always have been a huge advocate of our State’s technical colleges,“ said Mr. Kaplan. “Many of our employees, including key managers, hold technical college degrees from both Tri-County and Greenville Technical Colleges. I feel these students make exceptional employees and are better prepared for the workplace than most four-year college students. I am excited about being able to contribute to the future success of one of our country’s best technical colleges.”

Mr. Kaplan is President/Owner of Cornell Dubilier Electronics, a manufacturer of capacitors for electronic and electrical equipment. He joined the company as a Process Engineer in 1988 and later moved to Mexicali, Mexico, where he was Production Control Manager. He moved back to Liberty in 1994 to assume role of Manufacturing Manager and later was named General Manager (1996 -1999).

He received a B.S. in Ceramic Engineering from Clemson University and an MBA from The College of William and Mary. He serves on several boards, including the Pickens County United Way, Electronic Industry Association, Alliance Pickens County, Electronic Components Industry Association, and the Engineering Board of Clemson University.

Many employees have completed the South Carolina Manufacturing

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Oconee Campus…

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and labs. Cost savings will be realized through shared roadways, curbing, water/sewer, parking, and other amenities. Co-location eliminates redundancies and duplication of effort, said Brian.

Credit program offerings will include: Business Administration with an emphasis in Operations Management CNC Programming and Operations Industrial Electronics Technology Manufacturing Management and Leadership Mechatronics

Non-Credit Corporate and Community Education course offerings will include: South Carolina Manufacturing Certification

The Haas Foundation made a $10,000 donation to the Foundation to support scholarships for CNC students this fall. Pictured from left are Gordon Eargle, sales engineer for HAAS, Grayson Kelly, executive director of the Foundation, Gerald Maxie, CNC Programming and Operations instructor, and Paul Phelps, department head for CNC and Welding.

CNC Machine Operator Training Mechatronics Training Additional Workforce Training Opportunities such as LEAN, OSHA, First Responder, and Microsoft Office.

University Studies Certificate Dual Credit/Pathways Program for Oconee County School District “After having a small campus facility located on the current Hamilton Career Center Campus for many years, we already had a strong partnership with the Oconee County School District. This takes an already great partnership to the next level. Ideas generated through our discussions have been innovative and outside of the box. We are working with the Oconee County School District on the partnership programs, such as dual enrollment and pathways, and with area companies to offer industrial programs to meet employer needs. Future possibilities are endless,” he said.

Campus at a Glance • The Oconee Campus of Tri-County Technical College will be located at the Oconee Industry and Technology Park, located on Highway 11 in Westminster.

• Physical Address: Tri-County Technical College Oconee Campus, 552 Education Way, Westminster SC, 29693.

• The building will be approximately 37,000 square feet.

• The campus will open Fall Semester, 2018.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony is August 17, 2018

Our CNC program has four new Harrison lathes. Nate Bullock, of Piedmont, is seen working on the new equipment at the Industrial Technology Center.

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HAAS Foundation Supports CNC Students

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