Greenville Technical College (GTC) was awarded $2,500 in scholarship funds as part of a new partnership with the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), the precision manufacturing industry’s premier standard and certification body, and the Gene Haas Foundation, which provides scholarships for students entering technical training programs. The partnership will prepare more students for success in precision machining careers by allowing the college to offer free NIMS certification for qualifying students for a year.
GTC’s continuing education arm, the Corporate and Career Development Division, offers a CNC Machine Program that has recently aligned its training requirements with local industry needs by offering certifications linked to nationally recognized, portable credentials. This alignment with the NIMS approach benefits both younger and older learners, providing a pathway to further education and a career. Through this alignment, students can begin at the high school level with career center education that articulates with GTC. After completing the CCD program, a student can continue to earn an associate degree through the college’s Machine Tool Technology program.
“We are excited to have the support of NIMS and the Gene Haas Foundation for assisting our launch of the NIMS credentialing at Greenville Technical College,” said Leslie Trant, Dean of Corporate and Career Development. “Aligning our curriculum with NIMS standards and providing our students the opportunity for NIMS certifications further affirms that our students have acquired the technical skills needed for workplace success.”
“There are an estimated 99,500 projected job openings for machinists and 117,100 projected job openings for industrial maintenance technicians nationally through 2020,” said Jim Wall, executive director of NIMS. “We are proud to be working with the Gene Haas Foundation to help schools prepare more young people with the in-demand skills and credentials they need to succeed in these growing jobs.”