Tri-County Tech's First-Ever Job Placement Office Opens

CONTACTS: BUTCH MERRITT, EXT. 2381, AMY FENDLEY, EXT. 2196

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2/3/2000
(By Lisa Garrett)

PENDLETON --- Tri-County Technical College's first-ever job placement office opens this month offering students full placement services.

Longtime counselor and Cooperative Education Director Butch Merritt assumes the position of director for the new Job Placement and Cooperative Education office. He will continue to lead the College's cooperative education endeavors and will work with Amy Fendley, part-time job placement coordinator, in identifying employment and co-op opportunities for students.

Tri-County's cooperative education program is one of the largest in the South Carolina Technical College System. Under Mr. Merritt's leadership, 93 students were placed last year, a 35 percent improvement over the previous year. This past year, a number of participating companies offered their graduating co-op students full-time positions. The College offers employers a variety of ways to sponsor students in work-based learning experiences.

"Co-op provides an opportunity to meet employment needs by business, industry and education coming together to solve common problems, especially in tight employment markets," said Mr. Merritt. "To increase your chance of getting a good job when you graduate; you need solid work experience in college. Graduates who can bring to an employer work experience that's related to their associate degree have an edge over those who do not," he said.

Internships and co-op positions are becoming much more important both to students and to employers looking for a trial run with potential hires, he said. "Every manufacturer's dream is a highly skilled, motivated technician with customized work experience and a ready-made appreciation of the company's goals and needs," added Mr. Merritt.

"We will consolidate and add to Tri-County's current job placement services and work closely with college counselors and technical faculty to match graduates' skills with employers' needs," said Mrs. Fendley.

"In the past, students worked with faculty members and the Counseling Center staff. Now the College has an office devoted exclusively to job placement," said Mrs. Fendley. "This will allow us to focus on developing innovative ways to meet students' and employers' needs," she said.

Mrs. Fendley's office is located in Pickens Hall, Room 47, and her office hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Mr. Merritt joined Tri-County in 1976 as a career counselor where he worked until 1994 when he assumed the position of director of cooperative education.

In 1986 the Piedmont native was honored with the College's Presidential Medallion for Staff Excellence and in 1983 was named one of the leading technical educators by the South Carolina Technical Education Association. In 1990 students inducted him as an honorary member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.

He is a graduate of Anderson College and holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Erskine College. He is former chairman of the Western Carolina Regional Sewer Authority and is serving his 16th year on the board.

He and his wife, Kathy, have three daughters. He is the son of Mrs. and Mrs. Billy Merritt, also of Piedmont.

Mrs. Fendley joined Tech in 1985 and for five years served as coordinator of the Upward Bound program in the College's TRIO Division. In 1995 she was named project manager of a five-year U.S. Department of Education Title III grant awarded to the College. In 1996 while still serving in the Title III position, she also directed the Self-Study and chaired the Steering Committee during the College's journey towards reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. From 1996 until last December, she served as director of organizational and professional development.

The California native received her B.A. in psychology from the University of California at Davis, and her M. Ed. from the University of Georgia. She completed courses for certification as a school psychologist at Clemson University. In 1997 she represented the College as its outstanding support staff nominee at the S. C. Technical Education Association conference.
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