Areas of Progress – August 21
August 23, 2018
Areas of Progress is a weekly roundup of measurable areas of improvement and progress from around the state, especially in the areas of education, entrepreneurship, the arts, the environment, energy, agriculture, and philanthropy.
South Carolina ranks 5th in growth of women-owned firms
South Carolina has an estimated 167,000 women-owned businesses, employing 113,000 and attributing to roughly $16B (yes, billion) to the state’s economy according to the eighth annual State of Women-Owned Businesses Report.
South Carolina is ranked 5th in growth of number of women-owned firms since 2007 with a 67.9% increase, 28th in growth of jobs created with a 12.6% increase and 45th in growth of firm revenues with a 14.4% increase.
Expanded role for nurse practitioners
Gov. Henry McMaster held a ceremonial bill signing for legislation that changes the scope of practice for nurse practitioners in South Carolina.
The change allows advanced nurse practitioners to assess and diagnose patients and write prescriptions. By allowing nurses to deliver primary care, University of South Carolina College of Nursing Dean Jeannette Andrews and Stephanie Burgess, clinical professor, believe people living in rural areas will have greater access to health care
More resources for teachers
Throughout their 51-year history, The South Carolina Education Association (The SCEA) has worked to provide the best resources to help school teachers in the classroom.
Crucial to helping teachers prepare for this new school year, every South Carolina teacher will receive $275 in teacher supply money upfront when this school year begins, thanks to the ongoing work of The SCEA.
Also, The SCEA helped initiate and support recently-passed legislation that will provide more money to educators for unused annual and sick leave, resulting in keeping quality teachers in their classrooms.
Increasing the talent pipeline in manufacturing
S.C. Commerce piloted a Lean Manufacturing program in Berkeley County last year.
Recognizing the needs of employers, such as Volvo Cars and Mercedes-Benz Vans, S.C. Commerce collaborated with the state’s education and workforce development organizations to establish a streamlined certificate program. This initiative allows prospective employees to jumpstart manufacturing careers with a certificate in lieu of experience. The result? More than 500 individuals have already enrolled in the program, and dozens have secured positions in a South Carolina manufacturing plant.
Going forward, the program will now be known as ManuFirst SC and will serve as a starting point in manufacturing for those who lack experience. It will provide South Carolina’s existing industry partners with a more efficient way to access a pipeline of talented workers.
54 South Carolina companies landed on this year’s Inc 5000
Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of an economy. Inc.’s ranking of 5,000 companies looks at fast-growing innovators–and how they made our list.
It’s always interesting to look at which South Carolina based companies made the list. Topping the list in SC is Parrish & Partners, a transportation consulting firm based in Columbia.
