RichmondCC Industrial Mechanic Graduate Receives Promotion after Successfully Completing the Program

(Aug. 20, 2020) – Richmond Community College’s Industrial Mechanics program graduate Michael McKenzie developed the skills he needed to receive a promotion at his current place of employment. After just 16 weeks of training, he has been promoted to Maintenance Technician at Railroad Friction in Scotland County.

McKenzie, of Gibson, graduated from the workforce training Industrial Mechanic program on August 11 and was a recipient of the Scotland County Economic Development Board Scholarship. He enrolled in this program at RichmondCC because the short-term training gave him a better opportunity for advancement at this work.

“I’ve enjoyed this program.  It’s been 12 years since I’ve been in school. The hands-on training gave me skills on equipment that I was not familiar with, and some of the other content gave me a refresher on other skills I’ve already had,” he said.

As part of the program, students enrolled in the Industrial Mechanics program are encouraged to update their resume. Resume assistance is provided by the Career and Transfer Center at RichmondCC. He also attended one of the many job fairs RichmondCC holds throughout the year. The Career and Transfer Center has two locations, one in Laurinburg at the Scotland County Campus and one at the Hamlet Campus. This service is free and available to anyone.

“I chose RichmondCC because it’s in my hometown and they offer a variety of learning experiences.  My instructor Gibby Peele, helped me to understand things a lot more with hands on and one on one instruction,” he said.

“This program allows students to quickly obtain skills that are in high demand locally.  For a short investment in time, graduates can enter the local workforce at a livable wage,” said Dr. Devon Hall, Dean of Applied Sciences and Engineering.

About the Program
The Industrial Mechanics program will provide a student with hands-on training to be an Industrial Mechanic capable of working in a variety of manufacturing settings. Students will learn technical skills for troubleshooting, maintaining and repairing mechanical equipment, electrical motor controls, and other systems commonly found in industry. The class also includes one day of forklift operator training leading to a certification.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will earn the following credentials: NCCER Core, NCCER Industrial Maintenance Electrical and Instrumentation Technician Level 1, NCCER Industrial Maintenance Mechanic Level 1 OSHA 10 Certification, Forklift Operator Certification, Arc Flash Safety and Lockout/Tag out Certification.

According to Career Coach, a career exploration tool on the RichmondCC website, within a 50 miles radius of Richmond Community College there are over 350 annual job openings for Industry Machinery Mechanics. Almost 50 percent of these jobs require an industry certification like the one offered at RichmondCC. These positions start out around $32,000 per year with no experience and with normal pay close to $48,000. That is quite the return on investment for a class that costs only $188 before scholarships.

The next upcoming Industrial Mechanics class is scheduled for Aug. 25 through Dec. 18. This class will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. Class will be held at the Scotland County Campus in the Morgan Center.

Career and Transfer Center
RichmondCC is committed to see the workforce in our community grow and thrive with employees who are skilled and passionate about their work. The College offer many resources from to degrees to college transfer, to equip students for a successful career path.

The Career and Transfer Center in both Richmond and Scotland counties offers services for students seeking employment, including information and training in; Career Exploration, Resume Writing, Job Search, Interview Skills, College Transfer Opportunities, Campus Jobs or Work-Study Programs and Internships.

For more information about the upcoming Industrial Mechanics class, contact Angineek Gillenwater at (910) 410-1848 or email ajgillenwater@richmondcc.edu. If you would like to contact RichmondCC’s Career and Transfer Center you may visit the Richmond County or Scotland County campus or call Patsy Stanley, Director of Career & Transfer Services, at (910) 410-1830 or email pjstanley@richmondcc.edu.