PTC Receives Duke Energy Foundation Awards for Programs

Three Piedmont Technical College projects have been awarded funding through the Duke Energy Foundation and the Clemson Center for Workforce Development (CUCWD).

The CUCWD awarded 36 school districts and charter schools and nine technical colleges a total of $450,000 for workforce development initiatives. The school districts shared $175,000 and the technical colleges $275,000 to support STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — programs.

Piedmont Tech was one of two colleges to receive funding for three projects totaling $45,000. The college was also recognized with additional funding for the Newberry Campus Mechatronics project because the proposal scored at the top of the range for the advisory board’s review, receiving an almost perfect score.

“Because of our commitment to STEMs careers, we applied for these grants to help our programs continue to grow,” said Fran Wiley, executive director of the Piedmont Technical College Foundation. “We are so pleased to receive this funding for these projects.”

The projects receiving the funding are an Advanced Manufacturing ZF Transmission project; the Marketing of STEM Programs; and the Newberry Campus Mechatronics project.

The Advanced Manufacturing ZF Transmission project will incorporate the transmissions that are being produced by the new ZF plant in Laurens County into the curriculum for the automotive technology program. The collaboration will also include other automotive programs and technical colleges when Piedmont Tech hosts the 2014 SC North American Council of Automotive Teachers (NACAT) conference.

The Marketing of STEM Programs project will establish STEM kiosks at each of the PTC county campuses. This is seen as a non-intrusive but appealing and creative way to engage visitors and provide them with information on the STEM programs available at Piedmont Tech.

The Newberry Campus Mechatronics project will help establish a mechatronics technology degree program at the new Newberry County Campus. The degree program will tie into the Mechatronics program currently offered at the Newberry Career Center.

“The goal of each of these projects is to highlight STEM careers,” said Lynn Mack, dean of instructional and grant development. “We want to continue to advance our STEM programs so that we can provide a well-prepared workforce to enter those fields.”

Photo Caption: Three Piedmont Technical College projects have been awarded funding through the Duke Energy Foundation and the Clemson Center for Workforce Development (CUCWD). Pictured are, from left, George Acker, vice president of external relations in South Carolina with Duke Energy; Fran Wiley, executive director of the Piedmont Technical College Foundation; and Kevin Moore, industrial technology instructor at Piedmont Tech.