College, United Way get $2M workforce grant

Listen to this article

Spartanburg Community College and the United Way of the Piedmont have received a $2.1 million grant to combat the Upstate’s technical labor shortage. They received the grant from the U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Opportunities in Rural Communities program.

The collaborative project, GROWsc: Growing Real Opportunities and Workforce in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties, is designed to increase the number of qualified workers in high-demand industries by cultivating new experiential learning opportunities and strengthening employment services to assist the previously incarcerated, those with substance abuse disorder and the economically disadvantaged, according to a news release.

By the end of the three-year grant more than 1,500 Spartanburg and Cherokee County residents will receive new or improved employment opportunities.

"This grant offers Spartanburg Community College a unique opportunity to help over 1,000 citizens in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties secure jobs in high-demand fields that they may otherwise have lacked the skills to obtain," Henry Giles, Spartanburg Community College president, said in the release. "The project will also help companies who have difficulty finding qualified employees during this time of historically-low unemployment rates build their workforce and continue to grow their impact in the Upstate."

The college will add “cutting-edge” simulation equipment to its health care, manufacturing, construction and CDL truck driving departments, offering students more hands-on experiences in the classroom, the release said. The college also will create new apprenticeship and paid internship programs for students by hiring a new work-based learning coordinator who will work with local businesses to create opportunities for students to receive paid, on-the-job training while in school.

The United Way of the Piedmont will build on its program, Transportation to Work, which offers rideshare vouchers to employed individuals who have difficulty securing reliable transportation to work. Vouchers are offered on a sliding scale through a local rideshare company, according to the release.