Greenville Technical College Cuts Ribbon for New Approach to Manufacturing Education
GREENVILLE, SC — Greenville Technical College (GTC) joined with Clemson University, Greenville County Schools, manufacturers, economic development leaders, officials from state and local government and the community to celebrate opening of the Gene Haas Center for Manufacturing Innovation (CMI) with a ribbon cutting ceremony today. Speakers included Dr. Keith Miller, president of Greenville Technical College, Pete Selleck, chairman and president of Michelin North America, Dr. Randy Collins, executive director of academic initiatives in the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences at Clemson University, and Peter Zierhut, vice president of Haas Automation.
The number one goal for the CMI is to increase the number of skilled workers for manufacturing in order to close the skills gap that has hampered the progress of many Upstate employers. The U.S. is the world's largest manufacturing economy and in South Carolina, manufacturing helps to drive the economy, with $28.90 billion in manufactured goods exported in 2014. Manufacturing in Greenville County is an economic powerhouse, first in gross regional product, first in total payroll for all industries, and third in number of individuals employed in the private sector.