RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. - South Carolina native Joshua Taylor didn’t grow up in Richland County, South Carolina. He also didn’t go to school here. So, how did he end up at Integer Technologies as a Software Engineer in charge of full stack development for a team working on defense projects? The recent college graduate was connected to the company for an apprenticeship opportunity where he gained the experience – and professional capital – that opened the door to a fulltime opportunity.
“I was a budding junior at South Carolina State University. My chair – the chair of the engineering department, Dr. Nikunja Swain – reached out to me personally and offered me an apprenticeship. I had no idea of Integer at the time, but he believed so strongly in me that I could fulfill that role,” Taylor recalled.
S.C. State is one of the higher education institutions that Integer has been working alongside to build programmatic and pipeline relationships with since the company started in 2021. It and Benedict College, both recognized historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), provided the inaugural cohort of apprentices that Integer welcomed to its downtown Columbia facility. The apprenticeship program, managed by Dr. Crystal Pee, STEM Workforce Development Research Scientist, launched in 2022, provides participants with on-the-job experience and exposes them to unique career opportunities in defense tech. It also provides the company with an understanding of what colleges are teaching students and a direct line to provide input on what’s needed as the industry evolves.
“Because of the culture that we have here, students are willing to share what they're learning – what they find beneficial and what they don't find beneficial. And because of the relationships we have on campus, we're able to give that insight and have it actually be integrated into the curriculum,” explained Pee.
Other benefits include employment and connections. Taylor is one of two apprentices who have transitioned into permanent positions at Integer. Along with noting the outstanding mental caliber their student apprentices possess, Pee shared how their participation empowers students within the community.
“There are a lot of new companies coming to the area and you're seeing the harnessing of ideas, the harnessing of knowledge, and the harnessing of the new, but also the leveraging of the old,” she stated. “Apprentices get the opportunity to have power and to understand how to steward it. And with Columbia being a place that is very close knit, you have people that let you think outside the box and do things outside the box without negating your integrity and your boundaries.”
Dr. Jessica Furrer is the interim Dean for the School of Science and Engineering at Benedict College. The college works with numerous companies, but Integer is currently its sole apprenticeship partner. Echoing the benefits of how apprenticeships provide real world experience, she commented that students are able to hone their professional and soft skills. For employers, it’s a low-stakes risk that can yield big dividends.
“The benefit for a company is that you can bring someone on in a low-stakes environment. You're not hiring them forever. You're hiring them on a trial basis. And then, of course, everyone's goal is that you take that trial basis and parlay that into fulltime employment,” Furrer noted.
Pee makes a concerted effort to help people with career aspirations in the industry with business connections at Integer as well as other companies.
“I can't tell you how many times I go to career fairs, and students say, ‘I want to work for Integer. What can I do? How do you all work? I want to do more. And if I can't work at Integer, who can you connect me with?’,” shared Pee. “Here at Integer, we don't hold our hand closed when it comes to knowledge and connections. We really try to share those with people whether they come to work for us or not.”
For more on the apprenticeship experience at Integer Technologies, check out this special feature video.
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What do you do in your position?
Pee: “I manage workforce development initiatives for Integer Technologies, where I lead programs with both our government sponsors and our university partners to implement better strategies for getting more students to pursue STEM careers related to national security. For example, I work directly with Benedict College to co-create a strategy that increases their capacity to conduct defense-related research, further paving pathways for students to pursue impactful careers in the defense industry. In addition, I design apprenticeship experiences to introduce students to STEM roles at Integer Technologies, as well as the defense industry more broadly.”
Share a little about earning a spot as an apprentice.
Taylor: “Dr. Nikunja Swain, Ph.D., chair of the STEM college at S.C. State University, sent my name to Duke Hartman, Integer’s CEO, and it was history from there. My interview was very straightforward. The company was very small at the time with less than ten employees. The main questions at the interview were not so much about what I knew, but how much I was willing to learn. Since I was still an undergraduate, I acknowledged that I did not have experience in the current research fields of Integer at the time and had quite a bit to learn, which they sincerely appreciated. The company was still very new and the overall feeling of earning that spot was very scary at first, but people like Tristan Kyzer, Duke Hartman, and Josh Knight, were supportive and impressed with my ability to immediately hop in, research, and implement practices to keep the ball rolling.”
How else do relationships with employers help Benedict?
Furrer: “It can also help us to drive our curriculum. If I hear from my alumni, ‘Oh, I'm out in the field, I'm using this software,’ we really need to know this. That can help us feed back into our curriculum and to continuously improve our course offerings so that students are really prepared when they graduate.”
What do you like about Columbia, S.C.?
Pee: “There’s nothing like coming to Soda City and seeing people who I haven’t seen in a while, especially during COVID. If I had to pick one more favorite thing, I would say the history that's here. Integer is located right across from King's Barbershop, and my fiancé talks about how he's been going there since he was a kid to get his haircut. It's really the family-oriented history that's here as well.”
Taylor: “I'm actually a part of the Integer band. I play bass in the band. Columbia has a very bustling music scene, and unrecognized talent. So, going to music bars or going to venues, you can kind of see that talent in real time. And it's a very, very beautiful thing.”
Furrer: “First of all, I love the size of Columbia. It's got all the amenities of a big city, but without the crowds and the traffic. So, I really love that. It's a small town feel for a city, and if you go places, you're going to see people that you know.”
To learn more about Integer Technologies and its rapid growth in Richland County, check out this recent “Where Are They Now?” feature.
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About Integer Technologies
Integer is a science and technology company dedicated to creating a safer world by transforming innovative research into fieldable technology for our national security and industry customers. Our high-tech solutions help both operators and autonomous systems make better decisions, faster in uncertain environments. We offer digital engineering capabilities across a portfolio that includes robotic and uncrewed systems, sensors and perception, power and energy systems, advanced manufacturing and cyber-physical systems. Integer was recognized as South Carolina’s No. 1 Fastest Growing Company in 2024. Visit www.integer-tech.com for more information.
About the Richland County Economic Development Office:
The Richland County Economic Development Office (RCEDO) works to expand, diversify and sustain the local economy by assisting companies that provide meaningful job opportunities and generate new wealth for its citizens. Founded in 2011, the RCEDO seeks to attract new industry to the community, assist existing companies with potential expansions, and ensure buildings and industrial sites are available for prospects to consider. Connect with RCEDO on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.