Schlumberger Engineering Manager Doesn't Hesitate to Hire a Tri-County Technical College Electronics Engineering Technology Graduate

CONTACT: RON TALLEY, EXT. 2278

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 7/28/2000
(By Lisa Garrett)

WEST UNION --- In 1995 when Schlumberger made the announcement to move its corporate headquarters from Norcross, Georgia, to West Union, the entire qualification department quit and Wayne Thomas was suddenly faced with the challenge of rebuilding his engineering staff.

"I was really lucky that Tri-County Technical College was just down the road," said Thomas, the company's engineering manager for product services. "The College's Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) department made the 1995 transition easy," he added. "Without that pool of EET graduates, it would have been difficult to bring the department to the level that I wanted," he added.

"Degrees are a must," added Thomas, who currently employs four of Tri-County's EET grads in the product services department. As design test technicians, their job is to take a new design and make sure it meets the industry standards before it's sold to a customer. Technicians write test plans and later reports when the work is completed. They also assist with customer audits.

"Tri-County's EET department is by far the most comprehensive that I've run across. The graduates are superior to other programs I've looked at," said Thomas.

"It boils down to the curriculum," he added.

All four graduates agree the department prepared them for the work they perform daily at the plant.

Jason Dickard, of Seneca, began at Tri-County as a transfer student with the goal of transferring to Clemson University. Instead, he moved to the EET department where he found a demanding curriculum, which he welcomed.

He referenced the importance of a senior project, which demonstrates students' cumulative knowledge in electronics.

"The senior project mirrors what we do here on the job," said Dickard. "Here at Schlumberger, an engineer designs a product and we test it. We mirrored those steps in class by designing, testing, and implementing what we built. The senior project is the last step where everything comes together," said the 1998 alumnus.

David Dickson, senior design test technician, who celebrates 20 years at Schlumberger this August, is a 1973 graduate. "My EET degree really prepared me for the workforce and to take on new challenges. Today the job market is wide open, and the two-year degree is a good option," said the Westminster resident.

Greg Dickson, of Townville, a graduate of the class of 1997, says the curriculum sharpened his communication and technical writing skills. Often, graduates choose to pursue a four-year degree in EET through S.C. State University. "They readily accepted my credits," said Greg, who attends evening classes at the University Center in Greenville once a week.

Strong math skills are a must, said Amy Buckman, a 1998 graduate. "You need an aptitude for problem-solving and for thinking logically. The instructors teach a concept, and you must apply those skills to solve a problem on a test. The instructors really care about the students and go out of their way to help," she added.

"We try to produce students who won't give up when solving a problem," said Ron Talley, who leads Tri-County's EET department. "Our students build circuits from discreet parts, not kits. The curriculum involves a lot of hands-on circuit building and problem-solving skills in labs."

"There are tremendous opportunities out there for EET graduates," said Talley. "Because of their ability to solve complex problems, job opportunities are abundant for graduates to work as technicians or as advanced troubleshooters in industry."

Thomas says his associates have an objective to take a professional development class internally or externally to improve their skills. For example, David completed Supervision in the World of Work, a year-long certificate program through Tri-County's Continuing Education Division. "It was definitely a benefit," said David.

"I push them to constantly improve their skills, and consequently, I will give them more responsibility," said Thomas.

"Without the EET department, I would have to accept less qualified candidates and that would increase my training costs, and I may not get the level of expertise I need," said Thomas.

"I don't hesitate to hire one of Ron's graduates. I've always been pleased with the employees' skills levels, leadership and responsibility. They think. They don't wait for things to happen," said Thomas.

"Often I run into former students many years after graduation, and they tell me what an impact the program had on their lives," said Talley. "The EET program is one of the best-kept secrets around."

For more information, e-mail Ron Talley at rtalley@tctc.edu or contact him at Ext. 2278 at one of these numbers: Anderson County, 225-2250; Oconee County -- 882-4412; Pickens County -- 859-7033; or Clemson/Anderson/Pendleton -- 646-8361. Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech disabled should call TDD/VOICE 1-800-735-2905.

-30-