In a few short years, economic developers have seen advanced manufacturing go from a niche within traditional manufacturing to the standard for just about anything that gets made in America today.
At Piedmont Technical College's recent fall commencement exercises, outstanding students from each of the college's seven supporting counties were honored for academic achievement.
Ever wonder what it will take to secure the right job at the right time for the right pay? The answers you find at the Upper Savannah Regional Job Fair just might surprise you. Hosted by Piedmont Technical College (PTC) and the Upper Savannah SC Works System, the event on Thursday, March 22, will feature more than 70 employers from Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry and Saluda counties. The employers will be on site from 1-3 p.m. at the Medford Family Event Center on PTC’s Lex Walters Campus at 620 N. Emerald Road in Greenwood.
From an early age, Charles L. “Chuck” Graves learned the value of discipline and hard work. As a child, the newest Piedmont Technical College Area Commissioner watched his neighbors ― the late superstar Michael Jackson and his siblings ― exhaustively rehearse musical numbers in the garage of their childhood home in Gary, Indiana. The retired Greenwood School District 50 educator, appointed to the PTC Area Commission in January, likes to include memories of his early relationship with the Jackson family in motivational speeches to communicate that true success does not happen overnight and not without extreme dedication and effort.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
