The Middle
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Midlands Job Market Finds Sweet Spot in Tech, Health
By Kristine Hartvigsen
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ou don’t need to be a rocket scientist with a payload of higher degrees to find a well-paying job in the Midlands. Perhaps surprisingly, the real jackpot of opportunity rests squarely in the middle. Strategic partnerships between local institutions of higher learning and key industries are working to fill workforce gaps and balance the spectrum of intellectual supply and demand. “The general picture has changed, both in the United States and in South Carolina,” explains Marshall “Sonny” White, president of Midlands Technical College. “In our region, we have a tremendous number of middleskills jobs.” Middle-skills jobs require workers who have earned a certification in a specific field, greater than a high school diploma but less than a four-degree bachelor’s degree. Citing S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce statistics, White says that 45 percent of emerging South Carolina jobs — such
March 27-April 2, 2013
as information technology administrators, licensed practical nurses, and electricians — require middle-skill certifications. Yet, only 29 percent of the workforce has the necessary qualifications to fill those jobs, which can pay from the mid-30s up to six figures, according to White. And getting from Point A to Point B may be less painful than you’d think. In fact, some area employers are offering some pretty sweet deals to recruit middle-skills workers.
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Angela Dabrowski of Lexington will complete the Electronics Engineering Technology Program at Midlands Tech in August — and Michelin North America is footing the bill. After passing an aptitude test and interviewing with the company, Dabrowski was accepted into the Michelin Scholars Program and is receiving a specialized education as well as invaluable job experience. “Michelin is a good company, and I already have my foot in the door with them,” Dabrowski says. “They pay 100 percent of
ties are highly automated, and trained people are needed to service, program and maintain the automated systems. Dabrowski is not guaranteed a job at the end of the program, but her experience with the company gives her good odds. White notes that Michelin is growing by nearly 50 percent in Lexington, and says 80 percent of the estimated 500 jobs the company is creating are middle-skills positions. Michelin is just one example of the enormous growth in advanced manufacturing in the Midlands. Other advanced manufacturing companies creating middle-skills jobs
“In most cases today, credentials trump degrees. All hiring is competency-based.” my tuition and books, and I also get a pretty competitive hourly rate.” The program requires Dabrowski to work at least 20 hours a week at Michelin. Starting pay for Michelin Scholars is $9 per hour. Dabrowski, 23, thinks of the work as a paid internship, but the company views it clearly as a scholarship and employment program, because no college credits are awarded for hours worked at the plant. Students earn their formal academic credits in the classroom. A strong incentive for Michelin is inside access to a local pool of trained workers. The company’s Lexington manufacturing facilifacebook.com/freetimes
include Nephron Pharmaceuticals, which is building a manufacturing campus near the Amazon distribution facility in Lexington County and is expected to add more than 700 jobs in the next few years. In addition, Pure Power Technologies, which has R&D and manufacturing facilities in Columbia and Blythewood, continues to seek qualified workers for its operation, which produces diesel power systems and advanced emissions-control systems for the automotive industry.
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