Leslie Trant and Sam Tisdale with Scotty Nicholson, center.
Diane Jarecky, left, receives award from Leslie Trant of CCD.
The Corporate and Career Development Division (CCD) at Greenville Technical College, has named Scotty Nicholson the 2014 Instructor of the Year and Diane Jarecky the 2014 Adjunct Instructor of the Year. Nicholson serves as an instructor for the CNC Machine Operator class and also helps local manufacturers create their workforce by teaching the GE Engineer Edison Apprenticeship program and the Bosch Rexroth Apprenticeship program.
Nicholson became part of the CCD faculty in May 2013. Wanting to train students on the same equipment they would encounter in the workplace, he met with Upstate employers and found that the HAAS brand is in place at 43 of these businesses. As a result, Nicholson implemented the HAAS Virtual Trainer in his classroom.
During his first year at GTC, he developed a 240-hour CNC Machine Operator Program and trained 77 students in six classes. Of those completing the program, there is a 98 percent placement and retention rate six months later, resulting in a tax base increase of more than $1 million.
Nicholson continues to develop partnerships with CNC machine vendors and related companies to keep equipment for classroom instruction up-to-date. He seeks opportunities to improve classes and his teaching skills, including attending National Institute for Metalworking Skills training for CNC Projects, Level I-Mill and Lathe at Vincennes University's National Teacher Training Center this year.
Nicholson earned an associate degree in Machine Tool Technology, a CNC Programming Diploma, and a Train the Trainer certificate from Tri-County Technical College. His previous experience includes positions with Champion Aviation, JM Mold South, Jacobs Chuck Manufacturing Company, Tri-County Technical College, the Physics Department at Clemson University and Hamilton Career Center.
Jarecky is an instructor with the Corporate and Career Development Division's Medical Assistant Program, teaching Medical Terminology, Medical Law and Ethics, and clinical courses.
Jarecky is committed to the success of her students, demanding a higher level of performance than the students believe they can achieve. With a 95 percent retention/pass rate in her classes and specific feedback from employers regarding the clinical competence of graduates, Jarecky's efforts in the classroom have resulted in students with strong skills as they enter the job market.
She has also worked to reduce downtime during the learning experience. In the surgical portion of clinical training, she developed a practice and evaluation timeline that reduced collective downtime by over three hours in an 18-hour segment of instruction. This increased the productivity of students by 17 percent.