Standing left to right are Michelle Marcus, region 3 apprenticeship consultant for Apprenticeship Carolina, Ernie Adams, human resource generalist at WIX Filtration Corporation, Jim Sawyer, maintenance manager at WIX Filtration Corporation and Dr. Ron Bartley, president of Northeastern Technical College.  Bartley and Marcus presented Adams and Sawyer with a registered apprenticeship certificate recently on the campus of Northeastern Technical College.

November 3, 2008
NETC Helpds WIX Filtration Corporation Register Dillon County’s First Apprenticeship Program

Apprenticeship Carolina™, a division of the SC Technical College System, is pleased to announce that WIX Filtration Corporation has joined the growing number of companies in the state establishing a federally recognized apprenticeship program. WIX Filtration Corporation has been manufacturing filters in Dillon County since 1977. 

“WIX is a people-oriented company that encourages its employees to get involved in the activities of our plant and community. Our vision is to be the best filtration company with the best people in the world. One major step in the achievement of this vision is to invest in the development of our current workforce. Apprenticeship Carolina and Northeastern Technical College have responded to our workforce training needs. With the help of our employees, our continuous efforts will allow us to compete and remain globally competitive,” said Sylvia Brown, Human Resources Manager.

Ernie Adams, Human Resources Generalist added, “We are glad to have the apprenticeship program as a new benefit to eligible employees.  We know that through this training plan we can continue to develop our workforce to become more readily available to adjust to future technological advancements in the industry enabling us to become more competitive and enable our employees to be competitive in future job markets.” 

WIX Filtration Corporation is the first registered apprenticeship program to be established in Dillon County. An apprenticeship is a time-tested method of employee development that combines supervised on-the-job training with job related education.  A program “registered” with the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) shows an employer’s visible commitment to developing a high-quality workforce that meets nationally recognized training standards.

Registered apprenticeship programs also enable employees to receive incremental wage increases as they demonstrate new competencies throughout the training program. The Wix program entails apprentices being trained on the job by a mentor for 6000 hours (3 years) in Electro-Mechanical Technology and over 1600 hours of classroom training provided by Northeastern Technical College.  Apprentices in the WIX program will earn not only the nationally recognized apprenticeship credential, but also an associate degree from Northeastern Technical College.

“The collaborative work among WIX Filtration Corporation, Northeastern Technical College and Apprenticeship Carolina™ is a wonderful example of how our technical college system is effectively responding to the workforce training needs of our business partners,” says Ann Marie Stieritz, Director of Apprenticeship Carolina™.  “We have a vested interest in the growth and success of our South Carolina employers and highly skilled employees are a key component in that business success.”

Apprenticeship Carolina™ is a new division of the SC Technical College System that works to ensure all employers in South Carolina have access to the information and technical assistance they need to create demand-driven registered apprenticeship programs. Apprenticeship consultants are available to guide companies through the registered apprenticeship development process from initial information to full recognition in the National Registered Apprenticeship System. These services are available to South Carolina employers free of charge.  Interested employers can contact Apprenticeship Carolina™ at (803) 896-5287 or visit www.apprenticeshipcarolina.com.