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AFL enters third year of workforce program

Staff Report //December 20, 2019//

AFL enters third year of workforce program

Staff Report //December 20, 2019//

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AFL is continuing its Operational Workforce Program into 2020 with 14 new students from Byrnes High School joining the program in January.

Through a partnership with Spartanburg Community College, the training program will offer the students an introduction to manufacturing, according to a news release. Classes are provided by Spartanburg Technical College professors at Byrnes High School.

“With competition for a talented workforce at an all-time high, this program provides an entrance point for our younger generation,” Ryan Burns, human resources director for AFL, said in the release. “We are able to train students who are eager to learn about manufacturing and jumpstart their career.”

AFL started its first Operational Workforce Program in early 2018 and have fully employed six students who graduated from the program.    

“The training we provide also creates an awareness of who we are, the impact we have in our markets, with our customers and in our community,” Burns said in the release.

AFL, a manufacturer of fiber optic cable, equipment and accessories, began operations in Spartanburg County in 1984, manufacturing Optical Ground Wire, a fiber optic cable found on transmission lines, according to the release. Since then AFL has expanded its product portfolio to include additional fiber optic cable, connectors, fiber management systems, test and inspection equipment, education, training and services.

The company’s products are in use in more than 130 countries. AFL also offers a variety of services supporting data center, enterprise, wireless and outside plant applications. The company is headquartered in Spartanburg and is a subsidiary of Fujikura Ltd. of Japan.

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