Gov. Henry McMaster, S.C. DEW, S.C. Technical College System announce workforce retraining initiative

June 8, 2021

Governor Henry McMaster was joined today by state officials to announce a new workforce training initiative between the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce and the S.C. Technical College System.

Under the new partnership, unemployed South Carolina claimants will have the option of exploring short-term retraining programs offered at their local technical college in lieu of conducting a weekly job search. Upon enrolling in and attending a short-term training program, the claimant continues to forgo the weekly job search requirement and receive benefits.

“Through the power of our technical colleges we have an opportunity to jump ahead ten years through education,” said Governor Henry McMaster. “We have the culture and people who are ready to take the next step forward and we just need to get them trained and ready for work.”

The cost of the workforce training program is free to the student because of Governor McMaster’s January allocation of $8 million in Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds to the state’s technical colleges, which will provide scholarships to cover the cost of retraining 3,100 South Carolinians.

“The key to building South Carolina’s critical workforce lies in quick training and education programs geared towards high-demand fields,” said S.C. Technical System President Tim Hardee. “Our colleges are uniquely positioned to quickly get people negatively impacted by the pandemic back on their feet – training them in these high-demand fields and building more stability for their lives. We have identified 11 programs for this initiative that are 16 weeks or less in length, lead to an industry-recognized credential or certificate, and have a high placement rate in critical workforce areas.”

Currently, there are an estimated 82,000 available jobs in South Carolina. In order to expedite South Carolinians’ return to work, Governor McMaster announced in May that the state would discontinue its participation in federal unemployment programs which were acting as a barrier to South Carolinians re-entering the workforce. The new retraining initiative provides eligible South Carolinians with another avenue to receive state benefits while setting them up to participate in the state’s growing, global economy in the future.

South Carolinians wishing to participate in the new training programs can find more information by visiting the S.C. Technical College System’s website.

The identified training programs are being offered at technical colleges across the state and include:
Healthcare
Patient Care Technician.
This healthcare program teaches you how to administer basic care to patients. Patient Care Technicians interact directly with patients to help with daily tasks.
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
Learn the basic knowledge and skills necessary to stabilize and safely transport patients ranging from non-emergency and routine medical transports to life-threatening emergencies.
Computer Technology and Information Technology
CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association) A+ Certification
The industry standard for establishing a career in IT, this program teaches you how to support today’s core technologies from security to cloud to data management and more.
Transportation, Distribution and Logistics
Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)
This program offers hands-on training and in-depth classroom instruction necessary to understand and master the daily requirements of a career in professional truck driving.
Manufacturing/Construction
ManuFirstSC (Manufacturing Technician)
A basic manufacturing certification for individuals needing entry-level eligibility for manufacturing employment. The program covers the areas of manufacturing safety, quality awareness, production and processes, and maintenance awareness.
MSSC (Manufacturing Skill Standards Council) Certification
This program helps individuals learn the basic skills and knowledge required for advanced manufacturing and supply chain logistics jobs.
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) Certification
Learn about common job-related safety and health hazards during this 10-hour or 30-hour training course.
LEAN Six Sigma
Learn how to help an organization operate more efficiently by analyzing and improving their processes with the tools that you learn in this training program.
Welding
Learn various welding techniques through a wide selection of course offerings.
Heavy Equipment Operator
With a combination of in-class and hands-on instruction, this training will prepare you for a variety of construction jobs by teaching equipment safety, identification, operation, and basic maintenance.
Lineman Technician
Learn to use the tools and equipment required for safe installation and repair of underground and overhead utilities through a combination of work in the classroom and field settings.
Claimants will receive specifics about the initiative this week via email from the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce.