Apprenticeship program helping company fill needs for skilled positions
General Electric’s Greenville gas turbine operation is looking for 15 of the best as it partners with Greenville Technical College on a new apprenticeship program.
GE is joining six or seven other companies, including Drive Automotive and Bosch Rexroth, in operating apprenticeship programs through Greenville Tech.
“As we look out to the next 10 to 20 years, we believe there will potentially be a shortage in skilled workers, particularly machinists,” said Jason Larsen, human resources manager at GE Energy’s Greenville manufacturing facility. A large group of workers will be retiring over those years and more need to be trained as both GE and other manufacturers need more highly skilled workers.
GE spent six to 12 months setting up the program. In addition to Greenville Tech, it has worked with various work force development teams such as ReadySC, SC Works, and Pathways to Success, said Alexis Johnson, an HR leadership trainee who is on an eight-month assignment to Greenville and is helping lead the apprenticeship program.
Those groups are helping GE get the word out about the program to high schools and to areas where displaced workers congregate, she said.
GE has posted the program on its website and is recruiting applicants. They can apply at gegasturbinejobs.com through mid- to late May. Requirements are a high school diploma or GED, mechanical aptitude, strong basic math skills and a passion for manufacturing. The applicants also will need strong interpersonal and communication skills, as they will be working in teams.
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