GREENVILLE, S.C. — Greenville-based Hubbell Lighting has pledged $25,000 to the Greenville Tech Foundation to establish a new advanced manufacturing and engineering-related endowed scholarship fund at the college.
“We have been successful partnering with local businesses and organizations in the Upstate of South Carolina to call attention to the need for a skilled workforce,” said Garth Warner, vice president of HR at Hubbell Lighting. “This awareness has translated to increased interest for careers in advanced manufacturing and engineering fields. Now is a perfect time for us capitalize on the momentum generated by this awareness to take action and continue leading by example.”
The five-year commitment from Hubbell Lighting, which is conveniently located next door to the Greenville Technical College Gene Haas Center for Manufacturing Innovation at Millennium Park, will benefit students enrolled in programs within the college’s School of Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Technology including Mechatronics Technology and Computer Numerical Control Programming & Operations.
Greenville Tech and Hubbell are currently in discussions to develop an apprenticeship program and lighting-specific curriculum.
The Hubbell Lighting Scholarship Fund will help the company and the college develop a highly-skilled workforce of graduates that have access to significant career opportunities. Students graduating from this program would immediately be ideal candidates to work with Hubbell Lighting as it produces indoor and outdoor lighting products for commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential markets. With the pace of innovation in the lighting industry continuing to accelerate, access to a talent pool of skilled labor is a big part of its business and critical to its success.
Hubbell Lighting is active in promoting STEM related initiatives in the region. The company participates in Greenville County School’s Engineering Week program and iMAGINE Upstate. It has also partnered with Greenville Tech on Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Night at the Greenville Drive, an event designed to introduce K-12 students and their parents to the many opportunities available in this sector.
“It is ideal when industry leaders like Hubbell Lighting join forces with Greenville Technical College on workforce development,” said Ann Wright, vice president for advancement with the Greenville Tech Foundation. “This generous gift will provide students who might otherwise struggle to pay for college with a clear path to success as it provides a pipeline of qualified job candidates.”
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