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UNION COUNTY — An open house at the Union County Advanced Technology center will feature information on classes, financial aid, career opportunities and a chance to win a $500 scholarship from Spartanburg Community College.

The open house, which will be held Thursday, June 20 from 4-7 p.m., will be one of four held at the SCC campuses this coming week designed to showcase SCC’s commitment to the communities it serves.

“We have four open houses coming next week with the first being June 18 from 4-7 p.m. at the Central Campus,” SCC Director of Recruiting Luke Black said Wednesday. “Then we have open houses at our other three campuses on June 20 from 4-7 p.m. That includes the Union County Advanced Technology Center, the Tyger River campus, and our Cherokee County campus.

“We are going to showcase what Spartanburg Community College is all about as part of the South Carolina Technical College System and how we are committed to our local communities of Spartanburg, Cherokee, and Union,” he said. “That is our service area and what better way to show our commitment to our service area than with open houses at our campuses.”

Kathy Jo Lancaster, technology center site coordinator, said the open house is an opportunity for the residents of Union County to learn about the educational services provided at the center.

“We are looking forward to the upcoming open house as an opportunity for prospective students, parents, and residents to see what the college provides right here in Union County,” Lancaster said. “Spartanburg Community College is proud to serve the community with excellent programs, services, and course options leading to high-tech, high demand jobs and competitive wages.”

Black said the open house will show the public not only the courses offered at the technology center, but also how a Union County resident could enroll at the center, take classes there, and then continue their education at the main campus in Spartanburg.

“We’ll have program displays for health and human services, manufacturing and industrial technology, student support services, student activities, and offer tours of the campus, specifically of our mechatronics and welding programs,” Black said. “Spartanburg Community College has more than 100 programs and what people here may not understand is that a person could enroll in a program like nursing for example, get prerequisites here, and still attend classes at the central campus. Not enough people take advantage of their local campus to take those prerequisite courses, they are just unaware of it.”

In addition to information about the course offerings provided by SCC both locally and through its central campus, the open house will also provide those attending with the opportunity to win a $500 scholarship.

“We have $2,000 in scholarships we are giving away next week including $500 specifically for this campus,” Black said. “The scholarship can be used to enroll in a class offered by Spartanburg Community College and attend here at the Union County Advanced Technology Center.”

Lancaster said that the $500 can help cover a major part of the cost of taking classes at the center, pointing out that books cost an average of $450 per term.

To have a chance at winning the scholarship, persons attending the open house will have to fill out survey and then, according to Lancaster, “their name goes in the hat” for the drawing.

Black said the open house will also feature information about admission to the college and information about financial aid.

In addition to being a showcase for the classes and services offered by SCC, Lancaster said the open house will also enable residents to meet with representatives of local industries and discuss career possibilities.

“We have invited some of our local industry and business partners — ESAB, Gestamp, Dollar General, Wallace Thomson Hospital, and Ellen Sagar Nursing Home — to put up displays,” Lancaster said. “They will be available to talk to students about career paths and job opportunities.”

For more information about the open house and the Union County Advanced Technology Center contact Kathy Jo Lancaster at 864-466-1060.

Editor Charles Warner can be reached at 864-427-1234, ext. 14, or by email at cwarner@civitasmedia.com.