Tiffany McKnight wakes up every weekday at 3:30am to start her first of two full-time jobs. Her son, Octavian, credits his mom’s hard work for inspiring him to participate in the Harbor Freight Fellows Initiative, earn an HVAC certification and a full-time position as a HVAC technician with McLeod Health in Florence, South Carolina.
On March 13th Octavian received the “Junior Fellow” award at the 2025 South Carolina Youth Skilled Trades Summit in Greenville. Octavian’s mom reflected on his achievement:
“I have four kids, three of them are boys, and I’ve always wanted the best for my kids and wanted them to be successful because I didn’t want them to be a statistic in the world. I’m glad Octavian decided to learn a trade because look where he is now – he’s making more money than me and I’ve been at my job over 26 years.”
The third annual South Carolina Youth Skilled Trades Summit attracted more than 200 attendees over two days including elected officials, business leaders, educators and students. The event featured student trades exhibitions, student panels, and presentations from leaders including W. Burke Royster, the Superintendent of Greenville County Schools, the largest public school system in South Carolina.
Octavian’s journey in the trades started as a Harbor Freight Fellow where he participated in the McLeod Health Industrial Maintenance Youth Apprenticeship Program. Twelve students from high schools in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina completed 120-hour apprenticeships with mentors across the fields of construction, electrical, plumbing and HVAC. The program is a partnership between McLeod Health, Big Picture Learning, Harbor Freight Tools for Schools and Power:Ed.
Over the past seven years, more than 100 South Carolina youth have completed apprenticeships through the Harbor Freight Fellows Initiative.
