Seneca couple: “Our lives will change for the better”

A Seneca woman, while living in Louisiana, worked as a camp counselor, a sales clerk in retail and a waitress in restaurants  — all minimum-wage jobs that had her struggling weekly to make ends meet for her and her two children.  Devin Williams wasn’t alone.  She says; her co-workers also struggled financially and they often talked about juggling two jobs that together didn’t equal a living wage.  “I was always just getting by with no clear path or options to move forward,” said Devin. The opportunity for gainful employment finally changed when she and her husband, Harvey, moved to Seneca and discovered the South Carolina Manufacturing Certification (SCMC) class taught through Tri-County Technical College’s Corporate and Community Education Division.  “Our lives will change for the better because of this course,” Devin said of the 10-week SCMC program, a quick, yet comprehensive training route for individuals seeking to enhance their skills and to secure full-time employment as operators in manufacturing. The SCMC training is a 200-hour curriculum that includes the opportunity to earn 11 nationally-recognized credentials. Topics include industrial safety, quality, blueprints and measurement, production processes and some basic understanding of industrial equipment and maintenance.  Participants may earn an OSHA 10-hour safety card, a Lean Six Sigma yellow belt certification and national MSSC credentials in safety, quality, production systems and maintenance awareness which translate into stackable credentials for college credit.