Technical education has been around for years, but the word is getting out about the number of programs that are available for both high school students and businesses.
Greenville Women Giving hosted a luncheon and information session, inviting Matteel Knowles and Kelly Sanderson to speak on the programs available for students who may not want to go the traditional four-year college path.
Knowles is the vice president for student services at Greenville Technical College and has been with the technical college system since 1997. Sanderson is director of J. Harley Bonds Career Center, a Greenville County Schools Career Technical Education center in Greer.
No longer just ‘trade school’
Knowles said career technical education, which was once called trade school, conjures images of grimy factories. She said the factories today are significantly different from years ago. They are clean, high-tech environments that students need to be prepared for.
“What we do serves those in the community who need it the most,” Knowles said.
The opportunities offered following CTE programs can be in-demand, high-paying careers that have the potential for students to earn nearly $60,000 to $70,000 per year once they get into the work force.
“They cannot find qualified individuals to fill those jobs,” Sanderson said.
Many students now coming out of high school with several work-ready industry certifications. Sanders said students are exposed to career paths starting as early as possible through career weeks, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) classes, robotics competitions, career fairs and more.
More certifications than ever
The programs are gaining traction quickly. Greenville County Schools students earned 8,745 certifications for the 2021-22 school year; they earned just 601 for the 2016-17 year.
The program dovetails with GCS Graduation Plus, an initiative that seeks to give students graduating from Greenville County Schools a technical certification and/or college credit.
As of now, there are a number of manufacturers with local plants that are helping prime students for the working world. BMW, Michelin and Bausch + Lomb offer students internship programs that give them the opportunity to train at those plants while still in high school.
For instance, BMW’s Rising Scholars program gives students the opportunity to work part-time at BMW while training at its new Training and Development Center. The class of about 16 students make $12 an hour while BMW pays for any tuition and books while students learn the ropes at the factory.
Students who complete the program and do well are practically guaranteed a job at BMW Manufacturing in Greer. However, there are a lot of businesses that may not know how easy it is to get involved, or that it exists at all. Knowles and Sanderson are working to change that.
“We need more businesses and more industries to partner with us,” Sanderson said.
Top employers of GTC graduates
- Prisma Health
- Greenville Technical College
- BMW Manufacturing
- Michelin
- Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System
- Bon Secours Health System
- Greenville County Schools
- Sealed Air Corp.
- TD Bank
- AnMed Health
- Fluor Corp.
- Clemson University
- Windstream
