LIBERTY — A combination celebration and fundraising event for science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs will take place at 6 p.m. May 19 at the Pickens County Career and Technology Center.

The celebration will recognize students who have distinguished themselves in the subject areas of STEM. All of the proceeds will be presented to the School District of Pickens County to assist in Career and Technology Center STEM programs through the acquisition of additional robots, electronics, mechatronic and machine tool equipment, pipe, metal and wire for student learning.

Highlighting the evening will be the naming of the 2016 Pickens County Scholar Technician of the Year. Alliance Pickens executive director Ray Farley said the evening promises to be a memorable one.

“The combined efforts of Alliance Pickens, Pickens County’s existing industry, the School District of Pickens County and the Pickens County Career and Technology Center have created a model that has become the envy of much of the U.S.,” Farley said.

Farley said the Scholar Technician program is a workforce development initiative and economic development tool created to encourage young people to pursue technical careers. The program is designed to encourage students to consider STEM manufacturing technical careers and to create a highly skilled, technical trained workforce that would both support existing companies and attract top-notch manufacturing firms to Pickens County.

In this program, students are encouraged to apply STEM principles in solving problems with their minds and their hands and the Scholar Technician is the student who augments traditional classroom learning with practical hands-on learning. In doing so, they are able to develop the skills required in today’s STEM manufacturing environment.

The Scholar Technician program exposes students from elementary through high school to applied technical training. The initiative encourages students to excel in technical career activities by promoting technically skilled students in the same way many communities promote their athletically skilled students.

Farley said the Scholar Technician of the Year award recognizes the outstanding achievements and year-round efforts made by one of many students in Pickens County.

Anyone with questions about the program or interested in purchasing tickets for the event should contact Melissa Carlson at (864) 898-1500 or mcarlson@alliancepickens.com.