Schaeffler expands U.S. manufacturing apprenticeship program to South Carolina

Industrial and automotive supplier Schaeffler is expanding its manufacturing apprenticeship program as it prepares to award journeyman tool and die certification to the first group of apprentices to complete the company's three-and-a-half-year training program at its Fort Mill, S.C., location.

The Herzogenaurach, Germany-based manufacturer of bearings and precision components is committed to the continuing education of its employees. The firm has been offering apprenticeship programs in the U.S. for 37 years.

Launched in early 2014, the Fort Mill apprenticeship curriculum builds upon the success of similar vocational training programs the company has offered in Wooster, Ohio, since 1980, and in Cheraw, S.C., since 1988. The programs are modeled after the German practice of combining on-the-job training with classes at a vocational school. More than 500 graduates now are working at various Schaeffler sites.

The Fort Mill apprentice program comprises two main components: academic/shop theory taken at York Technical College in nearby Rock Hill, S.C., and on-the-job training at one of three manufacturing locations on the Fort Mill campus.

Apprentices learn the trades of skilled setup operator, industrial maintenance, and tool- and diemaker, enabling them to become an internal source for Schaeffler to fill key jobs involving new products and technologies.

Upon completion of the Fort Mill program, graduating apprentices receive an associate degree in either machine tool technology (tool and die) or industrial maintenance from York Technical College as well as an apprenticeship certificate/journeyman's card from the U.S. Department of Labor. In addition, graduating apprentices are given a guaranteed two-year job assignment with Schaeffler. Top graduates are encouraged to continue their studies toward an associate or bachelor’s degree in engineering.