Greenville Technical College (GTC) and the South Carolina Army National Guard have opened a shared facility at 915 Perimeter Road, in the South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center (SCTAC).
With different schedules and times of peak usage between the facility’s two partners, sharing saves taxpayer dollars while maximizing use of the facility. Greenville Technical College’s Aircraft Maintenance Technology Program will use the facility mainly during the week, while the SC Army National Guard will use the facility primarily on weekends. The 95,225 square foot, silver LEED certified facility is situated on 14 acres across the street from the existing Greenville Armory and a facility used by GTC for Aircraft Maintenance Technology since 1987.
At the new facility, GTC has room to expand enrollment in the Aircraft Maintenance Technology program to better meet needs for aviation employers. Training will also be offered to SC Army National Guard personnel, supporting their need for qualified Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) technicians to work on Lakota helicopters. The training will be offered to the National Guard Bureau as a consolidated regional or national training solution.
The Aircraft Maintenance Technology program at Greenville Technical College is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Veterans Administration and provides students with the technical, mechanical, and academic skills needed to become aircraft maintenance technicians.
A comprehensive inventory of well-maintained jet and reciprocating engine aircraft and related equipment enables students to master the skills required to succeed in this very competitive industry. The new facility, almost five times the size of the program’s former home, will allow the Aircraft Maintenance Technology to offer students better hands-on experience. Donations by Tisa and Bill Wilkerson, Stewart Spinks, and Neal Workman and Will Huss of Trehel Corporation have expanded the fleet. Additional donations by Carole and Gregg Cornell, John I Smith Charities, Champion Aerospace, and the F.W. Symmes Foundation are providing equipment and other needs.
“Partnerships allow Greenville Technical College to serve our area’s employers as we ensure that students have the education needed to succeed,” said Dr. Keith Miller, president of the college. “This arrangement with the South Carolina Army National Guard is one that we are particularly proud of, as it means that we come together to make optimal use of space, to meet a training requirement for Guard personnel, to give students the skills they can put to work right away, and to see that the aviation industry in our area is well supported.”
“Within this new facility, the South Carolina Army National Guard and Greenville Technical College established a program that fulfills National Guard aircraft maintenance training requirements while addressing the civilian aviation workforce demand associated with South Carolina’s growing aerospace industry,” said Col. Andrew Batten, South Carolina state aviation officer. “Combining this National Guard Readiness Center housing multiple aviation units with the Aircraft Maintenance Technology Program provides greater utilization of the facilities and thus greater value to our state. Additionally, this partnership will enable our Soldiers to obtain an Associate’s Degree in addition to their FAA Airframe and Powerplant Technician Certification. This program can be scaled to support regional National Guard training requirements and possibly nationwide requirements in the future.”