James Gilleece was employed with Parker Hannifin in Beaufort, South Carolina for just under 13 years, making a great wage for the area at $22.36 per hour, when he was laid off in February of 2016. There were minimal jobs available in manufacturing in the local area, and Mr. Gilleece wanted to continue in the workforce. He realized that he needed to obtain occupational training to gain new skills to make himself more marketable to secure a job making a wage comparable to the wages he earned at Parker. He utilized the benefits of the TAA program and applied for occupational training and was approved to obtain an Associate’s Degree in Computer Technology at the Technical College of the Lowcountry. He began training in August of 2016 and completed all of the required coursework for his training within the 130 weeks allowed to obtain occupational training. He started out full time but secured full time employment about a year after he began his training. He wanted to continue his training, but did not want to pass up the opportunity to accept the job that he was offered, because this employer offered him a wage higher than the wages that he made at Parker. He accepted the offer from Geismer, a new employer in Beaufort SC, and continued his training part time. He managed to work a full time job and attend training, and completed his training in December of 2018, all while maintaining a 3.89 grade point average.
Mr. Gillece was very appreciative for the opportunity afforded to him as a recipient to the TAA program and was thankful for the support and encouragement that he received along the way.