According to instructor Terrell Culpepper, top graduates of Wallace Community College Selma’s Industrial Electrical Technology program are beginning to make an impact in the industrial field.

Major companies have begun to take notice of the college program and are recruiting many of its students.

One recent example is WCCS graduate Eric Rogers, who received his associate’s degree from the program his summer.

Culpepper said his former student was almost immediately hired by Griffin Electric, a multimillion dollar company with locations across the United States.

Rogers’ supervisor with the Maryland-based company is another former WCCS graduate.

One of the reasons for this, Culpepper said, is because of the program’s participation in the annual SkillsUSA-VICA competition.

Commonly referred to as VICA, Vocational Industrial Clubs of America, the competition brings together students from across the country.

Large companies like Griffin sponsor the competition and pay close attention to those who do well.

Rogers came in sixth in the nation at the competition this year.

Culpepper said WCCS has been involved with VICA for at least the last 17 years and the benefits have really paid off.

Due to these normally high results, Griffin gave the Industrial Electrical Technology program a $1,000 scholarship.

Culpepper said he will give the scholarship to a student next fall. The recipient will be determined based on grades, overall performance and financial background.