Maintenance Technicians from Goodyear, Barnet Polymer, and Mrs. Smith’s Bakery are learning hands-on theory and troubleshooting skills that relate directly to their jobs. This training helps them to advance in the company, and it saves the company downtime and fees for outsourcing.
“Maintenance is like a puzzle,” says Marvin Tedder, apprenticeship instructor. “We like to do puzzles. It’s a challenge between you and the machine. The machine is broken–what has the machine done to break itself? How do you get the machine to do what you want it to do? “
Apprentices get a well-rounded introduction to electricity, mechanics, motor controls, pneumatics, hydraulics and electronics in a high tech lab at the SCC-BMW Center at the Tyger River Campus in Duncan. A Festo Mechatronics trainer system, two Mitsubishi robots, industrial style electricity panels and PLC controllers are available in the lab. Apprenticeships are designed to provide the company with highly competent technicians for better operations. Assisted by the Work Investment Board (WIB), companies release workers to train two days a week. Workers want to make better pay, but they are also concerned with the smooth operation of the plants where they work. They want to be more productive.
Some classes also include, as this one does, individuals who are studying on their own, such as Bob Quattlebaum, who retired from management after 35 years at Cryovac. His goal is to give back to the community, and he uses his new skills to help the Habitat for Humanity program as an electrician.
Genaro Bautista and Donald Dover work at Goodyear. Today Bautista has come to class on his day off to work on his project. When he is scheduled to work on class days, he comes to class unless there is a problem in the plant. Donald Dover studies an electronics diagram in class at the SCC-BMW Center. “When we can fix problems, it benefits the company, ” Dover says. “If we have to call in the outsource company, they may not get there until six in the morning. We are already there, and we can deal with the problem. It keeps the money in the plant.”
Roger Morris, a technician at Barnet Polymer, says the well-rounded electrical and mechanical apprenticeship training was “something I just couldn’t pass up, though it’s not easy to work twelve hour shifts and then come to school. “
James Williamson works at Mrs. Smith’s Bakery. He is already familiar with the PLC’s used there. “The machine will throw a fault,” Williamson says, ” It’s like the machine gets confused. We have to take the laptop in there and clear the fault to get the machine going again. It has more uptime when we can take care of it.”
Spartanburg Community College helps local businesses with the registered apprenticeship application process, which is a contract between the business and granting agencies to help build a stronger, better-trained workforce for the Upstate Area. An additional eight companies are partnering with SCC for WIB and AdvanceSC funds to upgrade the skills of their workers. European companies have used apprenticeships for years to build their workforce, and now this model is available to SC companies as well.
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