Stories

The rise of the machines in our state’s growing advanced manufacturing industry is nothing to fear. In fact, it’s actually creating thousands of well-paying jobs for individuals with the right qualifications. Piedmont Technical College (PTC) invites those interested in learning about training programs for a range of careers in advanced manufacturing to a special showcase at its state-of-the-art Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CAM) in Laurens on Monday, April 30, at 6 p.m.

In past years, the term for a full complement of behaviors surrounding workplace integrity and productivity was “soft skills.” After a comprehensive study, Piedmont Technical College took up the challenge to form a Work Ethic Skills (WES) team, which developed a pilot system to integrate WES training into the curriculum of selected courses. That team ― comprised of PTC Humanities Department Head and Spanish Instructor Jennifer Lopes, Welding Instructor Tony Amos, English Instructor Rebecca Soppe, Associate Dean of Students David Rosenbaum, Computer Technology Instructor Coronicca Oliver, and Cardiovascular Technology Instructor Laura Boone ― has been selected as PTC’s Innovation Team of the Year for 2018.

You may call him a dreamer, but he’s not the only one. Rusty Denning thinks big when it comes to creating opportunities for people to excel in careers that need them. The associate vice president for economic development and continuing education at Piedmont Technical College is gregarious, determined, and unrelentingly focused on the prize ― meeting the most critical needs of students and employers. His commitment and creativity are key reasons the PTC Area Commission has named Denning its A. Wade Martin Innovator of the Year for 2018.

The evidence is indisputable. Individuals who have completed at least some college fare better in terms of employment and earnings than those with only a high school diploma.

A $1.5 million federal grant announced March 28 by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA, a department of the Department of Commerce) will provide essential gears in the funding machine that will bring to fruition Piedmont Technical College’s planned William H. “Billy” O’Dell Upstate Center for Manufacturing Excellence (UCME) on the Lex Walters campus in Greenwood.

A study by Burning Glass Technologies and published last month by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found the country’s most profound workplace skills gaps exist in health care occupations. “This is particularly true among higher-skill practitioner roles where openings exceed available workers by more than 40 percent,” the study, titled Different Skills, Different Gaps, noted. “This is by far the most dramatically expanding skills gap in our research.”

It’s only logical that a former psychology teacher might unconsciously invoke Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs when describing priorities for his new role as associate vice president for academic affairs at Piedmont Technical College (PTC). First and foremost, Dr. Darrin Campen is focused on the needs of more than 4,000 students across seven campuses. Related partnerships with high schools and diverse industries bring needs management to an even more complex level.

Piedmont Technical College’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CAM) in Laurens County cordially invites members of the community and the media to tour new labs and an additional 4,800 square feet of flexible training space recently completed at its high-tech training facility at 109 Innovation Drive in Laurens. The Phase III construction unveiling will take place at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, April 5, from 5-7 p.m.

Almost as soon as we spring forward one hour, the extra daylight draws casual gardeners outside to begin prepping their yards for the season. A team of four Piedmont Technical College horticulture students led by PTC Horticulture Program Director Daniel Greenwell approached the growing season with a slightly more professional eye when they traveled to Alamance Community College in Graham, North Carolina, to compete in the 42nd annual National Collegiate Landscape Competition held March 14-17. After the pine straw had settled, PTC’s landscape plant installation team finished 16th out of 58 teams, even beating out teams from several large four-year institutions such as North Carolina State University, Mississippi State University, Virginia Tech and Michigan State University.

There’s nothing like that first time you ease into the seat of a new car and grasp the steering wheel. How does it fit? How does it feel? Like purchasing a car, entering higher education can be a significant investment. It would be imprudent not to try it out before buying. Right? Now those interested in trying out Piedmont Technical College can take selected classes out for a two-week spin at no cost as part of “Test Drive PTC.” The new program offers an opportunity to take a test drive via one of two educational routes ― industrial technology or health care.