Enrollment trends at technical colleges and trade schools are projected to increase by at least six percent annually over the next five years as students increasingly seek career-oriented pathways.
Job market demand and the cost of higher education are two of the reasons more students are turning to trade schools where the learning environment is more practical and hands-on, and the time required to complete a certification or diploma is much less.
That’s good news for companies like Carolina Handling where a bachelor’s degree is not required for positions such as field service technician, shop technician, dock and door technician, service and sales coordination and more.
Technical school graduates and students exploring career options through career academies are desirable candidates, according to Carolina Handling recruiters. That’s why the company partners with work-based learning programs to raise brand awareness about Carolina Handling and the material handling industry overall.
From tabling sessions at Tri-County Technical College to reverse career fairs at the Pickens County Career & Technology Center, Carolina Handling this year has taken full advantage of workforce development programs put in place by economic development organizations such as Alliance Pickens in South Carolina and Aerotropolis Atlanta Alliance in Georgia.
A highly trained workforce is a key component in recruiting new businesses and industry, economic development officials say, with much of the programming offered by technical colleges and career academies based on the skills required by area employers.
With a growing book of business, Carolina Handling is continually hiring field service technicians throughout its five-state footprint. Areas of study that easily transfer to skills required for a field service technician role are auto or diesel mechanic, mechatronics, industrial maintenance, electrical maintenance and even aircraft mechanic.
Carolina Handling service managers recently participated in tabling sessions at Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton, South Carolina, where they were able to interact one-on-one with students enrolled in the school’s mechatronics and auto technician programs.
“There are so many good programs to pull from – mechatronics, automotive technology, electrical wiring, engineering systems technology – that directly relate to the skills we use every day in the field,” said Carolina Handling Service Manager Jason Pless. “Our partnership with Tri-County Tech gives us the chance to introduce Carolina Handling to area students and raise awareness about material handling overall and the types of careers available in the industry.”
That introduction recently paid off with the hiring of Tri-County student Andrew Sosebee. Sosebee joined Carolina Handling in March as a field service technician, working 30 hours per week and attending classes 12 hours per week on his way to an August graduation with a degree in mechatronics.
“I saw a direct correlation between what we were learning in class and the lab, and the work done by Carolina Handling service technicians,” Sosebee said. “I’m excited to be at Carolina Handling and I look forward to learning more every day.”
School-to-work opportunities also exist in Raleigh, North Carolina, where Carolina Handling has partnered with five other equipment dealers to offer a new Forklift Diploma Program at Wake Technical Community College.
The certified technician program pairs students with a sponsoring dealer to prepare them to work as technicians specializing in the maintenance and repair of forklifts. Students attend classes on Monday and Tuesday at Wake Tech and work the remainder of the week at the sponsor’s dealership earning work-based learning credits and an hourly wage. Upon graduation, students are eligible for tuition and textbook reimbursement and if all goes according to plan, a full-time job.
Pulling back the curtain to reveal good-paying jobs in material handling is a goal of the forklift diploma program at Wake Tech, says Jon Paige Kearns, professor and program director of Heavy Equipment & Transport Technology.
“Typically, when people hear material handling, they think forklifts and forklift operators,” Kearns said. “Rarely do people envision forklift technicians who keep equipment running or advanced material handling equipment such as conveyor systems, vertical lift modules and automated guided vehicles.”
But the U.S. material handling industry is an integral part of virtually every other industry and was valued at more than $42 billion in 2024. Manufacturing facilities, warehouses and distribution centers would come to a standstill, or at least be reduced to outright inefficiency, without material handling equipment, yet most people are unfamiliar with what has been called “the largest industry you’ve never heard of.”
“I would like Wake Tech’s program to be a model for programs like this at other schools,” Kearns said. “There’s no education that will better prepare a student for a career than if they’re going to school and working with their future employer. Their career has been mapped out and they’re ready to go on day one when they graduate.”
For more information on job openings and career opportunities with Carolina Handling, visit the Careers page of our website.
