BASF announced 10 new job openings for full-time process operation technician apprentices at its site in Seneca. These roles pay $21.50 per hour as part of the North American Apprenticeship Development Program (NAADP), which aims to recruit diverse candidates to the site and people who previously may not have considered a job in manufacturing. No experience is necessary for these roles, which offer experiential lab and on-the-job training, along with a certificate in Production Technology from Tri-County Technical College. During the 12-month program, apprentices attend school one day per week and work on-site with BASF the rest of their 40-hour week. At the end of the program, apprentices can move into other full-time roles at the site, and their pay increases to $22.50 an hour.
Five apprentices recently completed the NAADP program at BASF’s site in Seneca, including Chelsea LaCasse, Valerie Mayes, Taylor Sargent, Jason Overfelt and Vonda White, who celebrated with BASF and its partners with a recent event at Tri-County Technical College.
White had previously worked as an office manager and bookkeeper in her decades-long career and never considered a role in manufacturing before becoming an apprentice. Now that she’s completed the program, she has moved to a new full-time position as a production technician in the atomization department at BASF Seneca.
“I feel like the program gave me a leg up inside the industry by learning about the machinery and how it works. We had a really gifted teacher, which made going back to school a good thing,” said White. “We would have a guest speaker from BASF who brought more to that topic with their experience and knowledge. That was followed by a field trip inside BASF to visit the machinery that was covered in our lessons, and to see it in action. For me, that brought so much understanding to what BASF offers in this program. I learned a great deal.”
BASF launched its third apprentice cohort in December 2022 and its fourth class will start this summer. Apply at www.basf.us/apprentice by June 27 to participate in the upcoming apprentice program.
BASF offers apprentices full medical, dental and vision benefits, paid vacation, and covers the cost of tuition, books and fees associated with the program. The NAADP is made possible through support from Apprenticeship Carolina, Ready SC, the South Carolina Technical College System and the State of South Carolina.
About BASF in Seneca
BASF is currently hiring. Hourly compensation starts at $22.50/hour and increases with experience. For more information on open roles, visit www.basf.us/seneca. BASF’s site in Seneca is one of five BASF sites in South Carolina. The Seneca site employs more than 500 employees and contractors. This site is a specialty chemical catalysts manufacturing and precious metal refining facility. BASF customers use those products to produce a wide variety of products including pharmaceuticals, water treatment media for the removal of lead, arsenic and other impurities from drinking water, for fertilizers, herbicides, auto-emission catalysts, plastics, fragrances and more. BASF’s site in Seneca is dedicated to community engagement and contributed more than $50,000 in 2022 to charitable organizations that serve local residents.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 111,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €87.3 billion in 2022. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.
