As a state whose economy is built on manufacturing, South Carolina has taken extraordinary measures to ensure that we can provide a skilled workforce ready for the specific requirements of your company. Our training programs and technical college system are second to none, and the state is one of four in the nation to certify our workforce through the nationally recognized WorkKeys® testing and certification program.
Colleton County offers some of the best tax and business incentives in the country to give your business the competitive edge to build your success here in South Carolina:
- WorkReady® Communities with the Industry-Ready Tested and Certified Workforce Your Company Needs
- Reliable Workforce Committed to Local Communities
- Unionization Rate Among Lowest in the Nation
- All High Schools in the County Utilize WorkKeys® Testing System for the Emerging Workforce
- Nationally Renowned readySC™ Worker Training Program Tailored to Your Specifications
- Innovative Apprenticeship Carolina™
- High Concentration of Industrial and Mechanical Engineers and Technicians
- High Concentration of Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators and Machinists
- The University of South Carolina has a local branch campus in Colleton County
- Colleton County recently invested $3 million in their County Workforce Training Center where advanced skills training is offered in CNC, welding and a variety of manufacturing skills
- SouthernCarolina Alliance provides the tailored Advanced Manufacturing Skills Training Program to meet extraordinary training needs
LOCAL EDUCATION & TRAINING RESOURCES
Colleton Career Skills Center
1085 Thunderbolt Drive
Walterboro, SC 29488
Phone: 843.538.1613
The Colleton Career Skills Center brings job seekers and job providers together. It is the headquarters for employment services beginning with unemployment claims and following through the entire scope of the job search and training for the next opportunity. Lowcountry Workforce Development and SCWorks are on site to help deliver a variety of resources to provide a skilled workforce to Colleton County's business and industry. Included in those resources are incentive programs to help grow business along and workforce training programs. Training is focused on the attainment of nationally recognized NCCER certifications for the purpose of filling local industry needs. Instructors are skilled professionals of Palmetto Training, Inc.
Palmetto Training, Inc.
1085 Thunderbolt Drive
Walterboro, SC 29488
Phone: 843.538.2090
Class offerings include welding, machine tool, CNC, and commercial driver's license certification along with assistance in job placement.
Lowcountry Workforce Investment
634 Campground Road
P. O. Box 98
Yemassee, SC 29945-0098
Phone: 843.726.5536, 843.726.5165
The Lowcountry Workforce Investment Area plans and delivers workforce services in the four county area of Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper. The workforce development system serves both job seekers and local businesses. Focused on the goal of “creating a workforce system that grows the economy by providing skilled employees for new and future businesses”, the Lowcountry Workforce Investment Board continually strives to deliver relevant workforce services at the speed that business demands. The Lowcountry Workforce Investment Area is a function of the Lowcountry Council of Governments. www.lowcountrycog.sc.gov
readySC™
A division of the SC Technical College System
111 Executive Center Drive
ColumbiaSC , 29210
Phone: 803. 896-5340 or (803) 896-5331
As an integral part of the SC Technical College System, The Center for Accelerated Technology Training and its readySC™ program work together with the 16 Technical Colleges to prepare South Carolina's workforce to meet the needs of local industry. readySC™’s mission is to promote the economic and workforce development of the state of South Carolina; provide customized training for new and expanding business and industry in the state, and to provide this training at little or no cost to qualifying companies.
SECONDARY EDUCATION
University of South Carolina Salkehatchie
East Campus
807 Hampton Street
Walterboro, SC 29488
843.549.5314
The University of South Carolina Salkehatchie offers the first two years of almost every major offered by the University of South Carolina. Additionally, through partnerships with USC Columbia and USC Aiken, students can also complete coursework toward a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education.
PUBLIC EDUCATION
Colleton County School District
The mission of the Colleton County School District is to ensure that all students meet or exceed state standards in preparation for becoming productive citizens. The district’s strategic plan is focused on improving student academic achievement and character, teacher quality, parental involvement, and community support. Colleton County School District is comprised of 7 elementary schools, 1 middle schools, 1 high school, and 1 career technology center and serves approximately 6,000 students. The curriculum and education are based on the career cluster program where students prepare for their future career goals by following class tracks that specifically concentrate on their selected career path. The newest curriculum utilized at Colleton County High School is from the New Tech Network. The Cougar New Tech Entrepreneurial Academy, beginning in the 2013 school year, is an elite program of project based learning. There currently are only about 100 such high schools in the United States. The New Tech Entrepreneurial Academy is a progressive school where learners use technology to complete group projects as they would in a professional work environment. Courses are taught in double classrooms by pairs of facilitators who integrate subject content to create projects that are both standards-based and relevant to life application. www.cougarnewtech.com
Thunderbolt Career & Technology Center
1069 Thunderbolt Road
Walterboro, SC 29488
Phone: 843.782.4514
Thunderbolt Career & Technology Center serves approximately 800 high school students each semester with technical instructional labs in health occupations, automotive technology, welding, culinary arts, accounting, and more.
For more information on the available education and training resources located in Colleton County and the surrounding areas, click here.
