Policies We Support
- Growing apprenticeship opportunities
- Becoming the home of choice for veterans leaving the service and starting their second career by fully exempting military retirement benefits, and making it easier for veterans to transition into the workforce.
- Expanding policies aimed at reintegrating ex-offenders into the workforce.
- Shrinking the skills gap by working with K-12, higher education, government training agencies, and private sector partners.
- Focusing on soft skills development for our students.
- Funding for technical college scholarships for critical-needs jobs and workforce reskilling/upskilling initiatives.
- Increasing the availability and affordability of childcare options.
Successes
Since 1989 the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce has been the voice advocating for the necessary improvements to our training systems to ensure an available, capable, productive, and sustainable workforce. Here are some of our successes:
- In 2023, with strong support from the business community, the General Assembly created the Office of Statewide Workforce Development (OSWD) to be housed within the South Carolina Department of Employment & Workforce (DEW) in an effort to streamline and consolidate workforce development activities in South Carolina.
- In 2022, the General Assembly permanently codified the S.C. Workforce Industry Needs Scholarship (SCWINS) which provides $17 million in annual scholarships to students pursuing a professional certificate, industry-recognized credential (IRC), diploma, or degree in a statewide workforce need at an S.C. technical college.
- In 2021, the Governor launched the Workforce Scholarship for the Future program which was further funded by the General Assembly in the FY2022-23 and FY2023-24 budgets. The program, through partnership with the S.C. Technical College System, incentivizes South Carolina students to pursue a degree or certificate in high-demand fields such as manufacturing, healthcare, computer science and information technology, transportation, distribution and logistics or construction at no cost to the student. The program received $93.7 million in funding in 2023.
- In 2016, after eleven years of the S.C. Chamber pushing the issue, the Legislature passed H. 4145, creating the Coordinating Council for Workforce Development, chaired by the Secretary of Commerce. The new Council is charged with developing and implementing procedures for coordinating efforts to prepare the state’s current and emerging workforce to meet the needs of the state’s economy. Two representatives from the business community, appointed by the Governor, sit on the Council.
- In 2014, we successfully lobbied for The Read to Succeed Act, which requires students entering pre-K and kindergarten for the first time to be administered a readiness assessment. The Act also requires that 3rdgrade students, who fail to demonstrate substantial reading proficiency, be held back with the option for students to attend special summer reading camps to get back on track.
- In 2014, after 5 years of efforts, the General Assembly passed Act 155, requiring students entering the eleventh grade to be administered ACT WorkKeys® assessments. All 11th-grade students in South Carolina now take a test that measures a range of essential work skills. They get an assessment-based employment credential that they can show prospective employers to demonstrate their qualifications. More than 1,500 employers throughout South Carolina recognize this National Career Readiness Certificate.
- In 2012, the SC Chamber of Commerce worked with the Technical College System to develop a Statewide Manufacturing Skills Certification Program (SCMC) that is now offered at each of the state’s sixteen technical colleges. The 200-hour certificate program prepares a portion of the S.C. workforce for entry-level positions in the manufacturing industry.
- In 2002, the SC Chamber of Commerce began identifying ways to improve the results of our state’s public school education. The culmination of that work was the passage of The South Carolina Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA) of 2005. This comprehensive, reform-focused legislation addressed workforce development through student-centered education reform. The Act allows businesses and schools to work more closely to ensure more of our state’s students complete high school better prepared for the transition into employment, further training, or postsecondary study.
2025 Education Goals
South Carolina businesses report their number one issue is a sustainable, highly educated workforce of technicians, engineers, sales professionals, managers, and entrepreneurs. The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce seeks to advocate for the necessary changes and improvements to ensure a capable, productive, and sustainable workforce. To that end, the Chamber’s Education and Workforce Development Committee will work to help our state achieve the following goals by 2025.
- The Education and Economic Development Act will be fully implemented across all school districts.
- All SC public K-12 schools will utilize a technology-based learning model with competency progression andfocused personalized learning.
- 90% of all SC high school students will graduate on time as measured by the U.S. Department. of Education’s Uniform Graduation Rate formula.
- All S.C. parents will have access to quality early childhood development programs that strongly focus on brain development from prenatal to age three.
- 10% yearly increase in the number of students completing a Career and Technology Education (CATE) Program of Study leading to a specialized stackable credential of value.
- 10% yearly increase in Technical College-issued certificates and credentials in areas that support S.C.’s workforce sector strategies.
- South Carolina will exceed the national average for awarding 2 and 4 college degrees in disciplines that support S.C.’s workforce sector strategies.
- Double the number of businesses supporting WorkKeys and registered as Work Ready Communities supporters.
- Apprenticeships will continue growing at a yearly rate of 10 %.
- Businesses participating in the Youth Apprenticeship Initiative will increase by 10% each year and will be in all 46 counties.
Strategies for Success
Our Education and Workforce Development Committee has developed the following strategies for improving the workforce and education in South Carolina.
Prepare Children for Success
Begin preparing our children at an early age through programs and advocacy throughout the state.
- Early Reading Programs
- Early Chlidhood Advocacy
- Student Mentoring Programs
- Expand 4K
- Family Friendly Workplaces
- First Steps
Increase the Pipeline from High School
Get students to develop knowledge and skills by providing experiences to learn and create a path for their future.
- EEDA
- ELO (Extended Learning Opportunities)
- Support At Risk Programs
- IGPs (Individual Graduation Plans)
- Middle Colleges
- Charter Schools
- Homework Centers
Align Higher Education to Economic Strategies
Connect higher education outlets with strategies for access and affordability while encouraging relationships between education and business.
- Articulation Agreements
- Smart State (Endowed Chairs)
- Support Technical College to Business Connections
- Regional Education Centers
Connect Adults to Education and Training
Provide a seamless connection from education and training to high needs jobs, showcasing the available opportunities throughout South Carolina.
- Apprenticeship Carolina™
- MSSC (Manufacturing Skills Standard Council)
- SC Workready Communities
- Quick Jobs
- ReadySC™
- Adult Education & GEDs
- New Front Door
Develop a Culture of Valuing Education
Create a culture of understanding the value and importance of education, while getting the business community involved in developing that culture.
- Business Week
- Parental Involvement
- Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP)
- SC WorkReady Communities
Transform K-12 Education
Provide leadership through programs, opportunities for career development, and efforts to educate an adequately prepared workforce for the future.
- Charter Schools
- Support New Carolina Efforts
Connect Education & Business
Bring focus to the business community around education and involve them in the development of education throughout the state.
- Regional Education Centers
- Student Mentoring
- Dream !t Do !t