In a ceremony held at BMW Manufacturing, the inaugural class of 14 BMW Scholars recently graduated and were officially hired as full-time BMW production and equipment service associates.
Together with partners from Greenville Technical College, Spartanburg Community College and Tri-County Technical College, BMW’s President Josef Kerscher celebrated the recruitment program saying, “Future development of the manufacturing workforce in the Upstate is part of our long-term sustainability strategy and commitment to education. As today’s event signifies, the BMW Scholars Program has proven itself to be a successful recruitment tool.”
The South Carolina plant launched the BMW Scholars in August 2011 and has recruited over 30 Scholars, with another 35 planned to onboard this fall. For technical college students enrolled in various career paths related to manufacturing technology, the BMW Scholars Program offers the workplace benefits of a traditional apprentice program found in Germany with the additional advantage of tuition and book assistance. According to Kerscher, “This is a great example of how collaboration between the educational and manufacturing sector leads to far better outcomes for our next generation.”
via BMW Manufacturing Co.
