When Scotland Manufacturing, Inc. President Dafnie Driscoll recently met to sign a contract for Richmond Community College to provide free customized training Driscoll was pleased to learn exactly how valuable a partner RCC can be.

Funded through RCC’s Customized Industrial Training Program, the college will provide employees training on a new Press line at the plant.

In addition to CPR and first aid classes, RCC will provide safety classes for the use of overhead cranes and for working in confined spaces. A supervisory skills course rounds out the package of courses in the contract. Sixty employees will participate in the classes and receive certificates upon completion of each course.

“It is great to be working with RCC,” said Driscoll. “We have a lot of homegrown talent here. As we move forward, we want to provide employees opportunities to grow. People can make careers here that we hope will be attractive to their children and grandchildren. We see an investment in our employees as an investment in our community.”

RCC President Dr. Dale McInnis asked Driscoll about difficult jobs to fill. Maintenance technicians who can troubleshoot motors and controls topped the list.

“I’m finding many companies and industries need people with these skills. Our Industrial Systems Technology program provides exactly the training they need. While this is a two-year program, we are developing six-month certificate and yearlong diploma programs to meet the demand. Each level builds upon the other, so students have options based upon their individual needs,” said McInnis.

Driscoll said the company is encouraging people to continue their education and is developing a compensation plan as an incentive. Learning employees can take a series of courses selected to best meet the needs of their industry was good news.

McInnis said RCC’s Honeycutt Center in Laurinburg opens in June and will house the new Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration program. Courses in that program can meet some of the needs of Scotland Manufacturing personnel.

“This facility has a 1700 square foot industrial training space where you can bring a piece of equipment for short-term training if you are short on floor space. There are classrooms and computer labs there as well. That makes it flexible enough to offer a variety of programs to meet your needs,” said McInnis.

Scotland Manufacturing, Inc. is following other Scotland County industries in the use of the WorkKeys assessment for use in hiring and promoting employees. The assessment evaluates people’s skill sets in reading and math. Profilers are currently evaluating jobs to determine what levels are needed by employees to be successful in those positions.

CIT Director Lee Eller said the college provides the WorkKeys assessment at RCC’s Scotland Center as well as the KeyTrain program that helps people prepare for the assessment. He has found technological changes in local industries are requiring employees to have more training on a regular basis.

“We’re here to assist however we can. RCC offers a wide variety of programs and services through the Continuing Education and Academic divisions. Based upon your needs, we can often find solutions that work,” said Eller.