THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, the industry leader in electronic component selection, availability and delivery, today announced seven recipients of the 2014 Technical Scholarship. The recipients will begin their studies this fall semester at Northland Community and Technical College (NCTC) in the Electronics Technology degree program.
“Digi-Key’s Technical Scholarship Program is a great way for the company to grow talent from within as employees take the initiative to further their own education,” said Rick Trontvet, VP of Human Resources. “It’s inspiring to watch motivated employees complete this coursework and then move into advanced professional roles within Digi-Key.”
The recipients of this year’s scholarships are:
- Ashley Holmes
- Chris Hultgren
- Conrad LaDuke
- Josh Whitlow
- Kyle Meier
- Matt Kessel
- Skyler Schimanski
Digi-Key established the program several years ago as a way to recruit internally for the technical-area positions that require an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree. Some of the positions at Digi-Key that require this educational background include Technical Support Representative, Product Manager, Design Support Services Technician, Information Management Technician and Technical Content Technician.
Since the program first started in 2006, a total of 41 scholarship holders have graduated from the program and moved into new roles with Digi-Key, and an additional eight employees will soon start their second year in the two year program this fall.
Some of the key elements of the Technical Scholarship Program include:
-Digi-Key pays for half the cost of tuition, books and fees for each employee who is awarded this scholarship.
-Employees (scholarship recipients) are able to continue to work full time and retain their company benefit while in the training program.
-In addition to being paid for their regular Digi-Key work time, employees (scholarship recipients) are compensated for the time they spend in actual classes at NCTC.
-Employees (scholarship recipients) must maintain a required minimum grade point average (GPA) to continue in the Technical Scholarship Program.
-A significant elevation in pay takes place when moving into the technician role upon graduation from NCTC.
“Every year the program generates enthusiastic, high-quality candidates for these scholarships,” noted Trontvet. “We appreciate our ongoing collaboration with NCTC and we hope the program continues to spark a high level of interest among employees who want to grow professionally.”
About Digi-Key Corporation
Digi-Key Corporation, based in Thief River Falls, Minn., is a global, full-service provider of both prototype/design and production quantities of electronic components, offering more than three million products from over 650 quality name-brand manufacturers. With over one million products in stock and an impressive selection of online resources, Digi-Key is committed to stocking the broadest range of electronic components in the industry and providing the best service possible to its customers. Additional information and access to Digi-Key’s broad product offering is available at www.digikey.com.
