Career and Technology Center Launches Apprenticeship Program

The Pickens County Career and Technology Center is teaming up with United Tool and Mold Inc. and Apprenticeship Carolina to provide an apprenticeship program that is the first of its kind in the Upstate.

The program will offer on-the-job training for 10th through 12th grade students combined with specialized classes at the Career and Technology Center. The goal is to give students job-ready skills as soon as they are finished with high school and to provide a pipeline of skilled workers for local manufacturers.

The program is the first federally recognized School-to-Registered-Apprenticeship program in the Upstate—only the second in South Carolina.

“In order to meet the demands of the future, we have to start preparing the workforce today of skilled tradesman for 5 years from now,” said UTM president Scott Phipps.

“Our country has looked away from the skilled trades in the past 20 years, and in order to regain our position as market leaders, we have to prepare the employees of tomorrow now. Instead of employers fighting from the same dwindling talent pool, we have decided to create our own talent pool. We wanted to create a solution that was perfect for United Tool & Mold and also help promote and support the Machine Tool Technology program at the Pickens County Career and Technology Center.”

The partnership with United Tool and Mold will also serve as a model to attract more manufacturing companies to Pickens County.

Students participate in the program for up to two years, during which they are paid for their work. At the end of the program, they will earn an apprenticeship certificate from the South Carolina Department of Labor.

United Tool and Mold and the Pickens County Career and Technology Center will be holding a formal announcement and celebration at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 12.

The celebration will be at the Career and Technology Center at 990 Chastain Road, Liberty SC.