Staff Report
Published June 19, 2012

The inaugural class of 14 BMW Scholars recently graduated and was hired as full-time BMW production and equipment service associates.

BMW Manufacturing Co. launched the program last year to develop a pipeline of talent for its Spartanburg County plant. The automaker partnered with Greenville Technical College, Spartanburg Community College and Tri-County Technical College.

“Future development of the manufacturing workforce in the Upstate is part of our long-term sustainability strategy and commitment to education. As today’s event signifies, the BMW Scholars Program has proven itself to be a successful recruitment tool,” said BMW President Josef Kerscher.

The South Carolina plant launched the BMW Scholars Program last August and has recruited more than 30 scholars, with another 35 planned to enroll this fall.

For technical college students enrolled in various career paths related to manufacturing technology, the BMW Scholars Program offers the workplace benefits of a traditional apprentice program found in Germany with the additional advantage of tuition and book assistance.

“This is a great example of how collaboration between the educational and manufacturing sector leads to far better outcomes for our next generation,” Kerscher said.

Through the three participating technical colleges, BMW is accepting applications for fall enrollment in the program.