Stories

Free ManuFirstSC Training Qualifies Participants for Immediate Employment

Learning about manufacturing

Jeopardy challenge of the day ― Answer:  An educational opportunity that delivers four manufacturing certifications in one ― a $995 value at no cost to qualified participants.  Question:  What is the ManuFirstSC Pre-Employment Workshop at Piedmont Technical College (PTC)? 

Eaton Corporation Donates $50,000 to PTC Foundation

Pictured from left: Glenn McLean, Eaton Plant Manager; Travis Gunter, Eaton Materials Planning Manager; Amber DePietro, Eaton Plant Manager; Dr. Hope E. Rivers, President of PTC

During a tour of the William H. “Billy” O’Dell Upstate Center for Manufacturing Excellence at Piedmont Technical College (PTC) last month, officials from Eaton Corporation saw firsthand tangible results of their past and ongoing support for the college. But Eaton was not finished. The company presented a check for $50,000 to the PTC Foundation for continued support of the college’s engineering technology programs. 

Piedmont Tech Extends Freeze on Tuition

PTC Enrollment Center in Greenwood

The Piedmont Technical College (PTC) Area Commission at their April meeting voted for an extension of the college’s existing freeze on tuition, instituted last year, through the 2021-22 year. 

PTC Has Just the Thing Coming Up for Travel Lovers

Holland, tulips, travel

As the world gratefully begins to open back up and travel returns to the minds of many, the Piedmont Technical College (PTC) Continuing Education Division announces upcoming travel opportunities beginning this summer through the spring of 2022. 

City of Abbeville Partnership with PTC Addresses CDL Driver Shortage

Chandler White
In an apprenticeship collaboration launched last year, Piedmont Technical College (PTC) and the City of Abbeville are helping employees who drive any city vehicle to earn their Class B Commercial Driver’s Licenses. Full-time firefighter Chandler White is one of them. He believes the additional experience he’s receiving will help him grow in his career. “The CDL program is a good way for us to...

Workforce Immersion Grant Puts Educators on the ‘Factory Floor’

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Piedmont Technical College (PTC) is the lead organization in a multi-agency partnership to place local school teachers and counselors on the archetypal “factory floor” of participating technology-driven businesses in the region to the empower participating educators to fully inform students, through their firsthand experience, about entry-level positions in growing industries such as advanced manufacturing, biotechnology and computer technology. 
The initiative has been made possible by a $15,000 Workforce Immersion Experiences for Educators grant from the SC Department of Commerce Office of Innovation. Participating companies are matching this commitment one-to-one, which brings the grant’s total value to $30,000. 

Piedmont Tech Student from Greenwood Receives Coca-Cola Foundation Scholarship

Madalyn Harris

Madalyn Harris of Greenwood, a student at Piedmont Technical College, has been selected as a 2021 Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar. Harris will receive a $1,000 scholarship for the fall 2021 semester. She is a Dual Enrollment student participating in PTC’s Quick Start Program, concentrating on health care. She plans to pursue an associate degree in cardiovascular technology. 

Historic Partnership Between PTC and Greenwood Promise Changing Lives Through Education

Dr. Hope E. Rivers and Katie Davenport
Like proud Olympic champions, a group of Greenwood kindergartners bowed their heads to receive a special medallion placed around their necks on a sunny fall day in a Greenwood High School athletic field. The Promise Day Celebration in 2016 officially introduced the Greenwood Promise to the community and reinforced the medallion’s inscribed message that “You can go to college. We promise.” “We...

Graduate Exemplifies the 'Human' in Human Services

shandra martin
Shandra Aiken Martin was the kind of school bus driver most parents would want their children to ride with. If they sneezed, she said “bless you” and offered a tissue. If they hung their head, she asked what was wrong and took the time to really listen. That kind and intuitive nature suited her well for work in the human services profession, so she took the plunge. Martin graduated from Piedmont...

Perry Named President of Statewide Student Financial Aid Organization

Missy Perry
Missy Perry, FAAC®, director of financial aid at Piedmont Technical College (PTC), has been elected president of the South Carolina Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (SCASFAA). The organization made the announcement on Feb. 16.

"We believe that you deserve an education that's driven by your goals- an education designed from the ground up to prepare you for success."

Dr. Hope E. Rivers
President