How to Align Your Skills and Education for the Jobs Available in the Charleston Region

By Jenna Edwards & Alisa Frye

Charleston Regional Development Alliance

With 50,500 new jobs created since 2010, the Charleston metro area continues to support significant economic growth.  The businesses in our region, whether multinational manufacturers or doctors’ offices, thrive based on the people they employ.  Sustaining this momentum and ensuring all citizens can participate requires innovative approaches to training and aligning our regional workforce.

Though regions all over the country are struggling to attract and grow talent with key skills, the Charleston region and the state of South Carolina are expanding existing programs and creating new ones to help all companies succeed.  These programs, however, can only be successful if our businesses and neighbors know that they exist and how to access them.

From elementary school curriculum to adult apprenticeships, we’re working together to ensure our workforce is prepared for all of our industries.  Here are a few examples of the many ways our schools, companies, and local and state agencies are working together to move our community forward:

Elementary & Middle School

• Tri-County Cradle to Career Collaborative – Leaders in the three-county region came together to build this initiative for ensuring every child will graduate from high school and be ready for either additional education or a career.
• Girls Who Code – Girls Who Code is building the largest pipeline of future female engineers by educating girls about computer science through project-based learning.
• DreamLearners – Students in 5^th grade are eligible to join Boeing’s DreamLearners educational program to visit the Boeing South Carolina facility and learn about careers in the aerospace industry.

High School

• Career Academies – With multiple areas of focus, Career Academies are career-themed schools within high schools that reflect the 21^st century workplace to prepare students for their future careers. Areas of focus include:
  • Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
  • Health Sciences
  • Culinary/Hospitality
  • Business and IT
• Charleston Regional Youth Apprenticeships – Trident Technical College offers high school juniors, seniors, and graduating seniors the opportunity to learn and get paid. The program may be used to earn certifications, open employment opportunities for students, and fill graduation requirements.
• TEALS – By creating a partnership between the classroom, high school teachers, and tech industry volunteers, high school students are exposed to computer science programs.

College & University

• JRS Coding School – Professionals interested in a career in software development can complete the 12-week program and become proficient in building full-stack web applications with JavaScript.
• CODEcamp – As part of Charleston Digital Corridor’s mission to advance Charleston’s tech scene, CODEcamp is a continuing tech education program for adults of all backgrounds and expertise to get an introduction to web development. CODEcamp also provides training sessions for employers.
• SC Aeronautical Training Center – Trident Technical College is constructing a facility to provide training for well-paying jobs in advanced manufacturing industries.

Adult Education

• readySC – readySC works closely with local businesses to provide customized training for South Carolina’s workforce.
• Adult Apprentices – In collaboration with Trident Technical College and regional employers, students have the opportunity to learn as apprentices in a variety of different industries while getting paid.
• Lean Manufacturing Certificate Program – Industries across our three-county region are offering manufacturing training programs for those who lack experience to apply for entry-level manufacturing jobs.

Many more programs exist in our market and provide opportunities for residents to align their skills with what our businesses need.  If you have interest in or questions about any of these programs, please reach out to them directly.