Duke Energy Foundation funds will support Greenville Technical College’s Center for Manufacturing Innovation

The Duke Energy Foundation has donated $25,000 to the Greenville Tech Foundation. The funds will be used at Greenville Technical College’s Center for Manufacturing Innovation (CMI) to develop curriculum and plans for capstone projects that are part of the Advanced Manufacturing certificate program.

The CMI is not just a new location but a new way of educating in order to close the skills gap that hampers growth in advanced manufacturing, a key driver of South Carolina’s economy. At the CMI, opening this fall, Greenville Technical College will offer classes in Machine Tool Technology, CNC Machining, Mechatronics, and Quality and Operations Management. Greenville Technical College students will work alongside Clemson University students on industry capstone projects in which the future technician and engineer collaborate to solve real-world problems.

PHOTO: Dr. Keith Miller, (left), president of Greenville Technical College, David Clayton, (second from right), executive director of the CMI, and Les Gardner, (right), of the Greenville Tech Foundation, receive a check from Linda Hannon and Amanda Dow of Duke Energy at the Center for Manufacturing Innovation, which opens this fall.

“When manufacturers are looking to locate or expand in South Carolina, the one thing they need above all else is access to a highly skilled and ready workforce,” said Linda Hannon, government and community relations manager for Duke Energy. “Supporting innovative education programs like this helps to ensure we can continue to build the region’s economy for years to come.”

“It is key to our community’s economic future that we expand the pipeline of qualified employees so that our area’s advanced manufacturers can succeed and grow,” said Dr. Keith Miller, president of Greenville Technical College. “We are grateful to the Duke Energy Foundation for partnering with us to see that the Upstate and its companies can compete globally.”