Esther Muñoz
Begin forwarded message:
From: Ivan Segura <isegura@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: June 8, 2021 at 4:46:01 PM EDT
To: ALIANZA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Gov. Henry McMaster, S.C. DEW, S.C. Technical College System
Announce Workforce Retraining Initiative
Reply-To: Ivan Segura <isegura@xxxxxxxxxx>
June 8, 2021
For immediate release
Contact: Brian Symmes, 803-673-9437
BSymmes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Gov. Henry McMaster, S.C. DEW, S.C. Technical College System Announce
Workforce Retraining Initiative
COLUMBIA, S.C. – 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.
"As the federal unemployment programs come to an end on June 26, 2021, we
want to ensure that claimants have access to all options involving training
and employment opportunities. If someone is ready to make a career change,
exploring the state technical college programs should be your first step.
This free training could lead to a certification or credential, which
provides you access into new or higher paying jobs," said S.C. Department of
Employment and Workforce Executive Director Dan Ellzey. "And, our agency is
making this training more accessible to people who will remain on South
Carolina unemployment insurance by relieving those claimants of the weekly
work search requirement if they participate in the training."
"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.
-###-
SC Gov News
SC Governor's Press Office
1100 Gervais Street
Columbia, SC 29201
media
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