PTC Receives $250,000 Grant to Increase Number of Engineering Technology Graduates

AdvanceSC, the granting arm of Duke Energy, has awarded Piedmont Technical College a $250,000 grant to further engineering technology education and join a national pre-engineering initiative. Developed in an effort to increase the number and caliber of engineering technology graduates, the project will have major long-term impact on the technology workforce in the college’s seven-county service area.

The project will establish a 4+2+2 partnership with the three Greenwood County school districts, Piedmont Tech, Clemson University and possibly other school districts and four-year institutions. Focusing on engineering technology, the project will address one of the primary gaps in current workforce preparedness in this region.

"By providing more and better qualified engineering technology graduates, the initiative will have a positive impact on the ability of local industries to compete and thrive in the 21st century workplace," said Dr. Lex Walters, president of PTC.

At the center of the project is the nationally-proven Project Lead The Way (PLTW) initiative, which offers seven pre-engineering technology courses designed to better prepare high school students. PLTW has developed a sequence of courses which, when combined with college preparatory mathematics and science courses in high school, introduces students to the scope, rigor and discipline of engineering and engineering technology prior to entering college.

"The initiative has already resulted in producing high school graduates who are extremely well qualified to enroll in two-year and four-year engineering technology and engineering programs," explained Walters. "We realize that a number of these graduates will first move into two-year programs and then on to four year programs, as they continue their educational pursuits."

The grant will specifically fund the establishment of a PLTW laboratory at Piedmont, enhancement of the college’s current courses to make them fully compatible with the PLTW curriculum and professional development for faculty to teach the curriculum. Additionally, the grant will allow the college to offer PLTW courses (or their college equivalent) to others entering the engineering technology program that weren’t able to benefit from the courses in high school.

"Because the students arrive to the college level better prepared, we are able to reduce the time which it takes them to complete the engineering technology program by almost a year," said Dr. Bud Marchant, vice president for educational affairs.

Another important aspect of the project is supporting the high schools’ initiatives to fully implement the PLTW program for their students. "By developing and promoting a seamless 4+2+2 program of study, we can assure far more students leave the educational systems with the high-level skills needed to be profitably employed by our area industries," said Dr. William Steed, superintendent of Greenwood School District 50.

Piedmont will also collaborate with Clemson and other four-year institutions to maximize transferability options for students seeking a baccalaureate engineering degree.

The final step in the project will be sharing the implementation with other upstate technical colleges. "We look at the project as a permanent and long-term, rather than temporary or short-term, solution to a major local and state need," Walters added.

AdvanceSC was established by Duke Energy in 2004 to support the communities in Duke Energy's South Carolina service area through grants for public assistance and economic development programs. In general, AdvanceSC focuses on advancing education to support industry, assisting other economic development organizations to attract and retain industries, and enhancing the competitive position of manufacturers.