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Christopher Conrad and Saul Rickenbacker have become the first individuals to complete Husqvarna’s tool and die maker apprenticeship program at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College.

“I know it’s been a long, hard road for them, working and going to school at the same time,” said Ken Carroll, tool and die supervisor at Husqvarna. “They put a lot of effort into it, and now, we depend on them. They’ve got that foundation, and we’re going to rely on them to train future apprentices. All that they’ve learned, they will be passing on. These guys are assets to us. They are our future.”

Conrad and Rickenbacker received an associate degree in Machine Tool Technology in May and are currently enrolled in OCtech’s Engineering Design Technology program working toward a second associate degree. They received their official Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship from the U.S. Department of Labor last month during a luncheon at Husqvarna.

Rickenbacker, who has worked at Husqvarna for more than 30 years, said he had been looking for a way to go back to school.