FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September
8, 2016
Contact:
Lindsey Culley
Community
Development & Marketing Manager
Email:Lindsey@dorchesterforbusiness.com
Phone:
(843) 875-9109 or (843) 259-4778
Dorchester County Leaders Engage in Technical College
Tour
(Summerville, S.C.)- On August 22nd,
Dorchester County leaders and stakeholders represented the community by
attending a Technical College Tour planned by Dorchester County Economic
Development. The tour was hosted by Central Carolina Technical College and
Florence-Darlington Technical College including 3 campuses at CCTC: F.E. Dubose
in Manning, Advanced Manufacturing Technology Training Center in Sumter, and
the Kershaw County campus in Camden. The final stop on the tour was dedicated
to the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology in Florence.
The inspiration for the tour came from a recommendation
as presented in the One Region Strategy, the regional strategic plan created
through a partnership with the Charleston Regional Development Alliance and the
Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. Dorchester County presented their county
specific recommendations as per the strategic plan in collaboration with the
CRDA at a presentation on August 16th. Out of these recommendations
came an evident emphasis on workforce development needs and building up our
educational programs and access to technical colleges in the area. As mentioned
in the presentation, Director John Truluck stated that the “county needs to
better advocate for more access to two-year degrees and stress to students it’s
a viable option for a prosperous career.” He also said that this need is “not a
new idea; it has been talked about for years in various county circles, though
still hasn’t come to fruition.
The tour included various county leaders and stakeholders
in the community that represent a desire to better our access to education and
programming among other platforms. Katie Arrington, House of Representatives
member-elect, attended the tour and suggested, “We need to work hand in hand
with Trident technical College and the various four-year state universities to
create compatible curriculum that can enable bridge programs if someone would
like to further their education, as we witnessed on this recent tour.” She also
mentioned, “We in
Summerville along with the citizens of Dorchester County need to create a Sense
of Place. This is to ensure that our community not only maintains the
foundation of this community but to lay down the next level for success in what
our future will be.
Hank Taylor, an
esteemed panelist from our “Positioning Dorchester County for Success” was also
present on the tour. Mr. Taylor said from the Central Carolina portion of the
tour, he was most impressed by “the commitment to all four counties and their
presence in all four counties in addition to the importance of the
multi-functional capabilities at each campus. For economic development, that
presence presents a very powerful message.”
In addition to
immediately addressing possible solutions dedicated to workforce development
needs, Dorchester County Economic Development has created a “Workforce Resource
Guide” outlining the programs that the county is involved in to work towards
these goals. This list continues to grow as our county progresses and
partnerships blossom.
—
About
Dorchester County Economic Development:
Dorchester
County Economic Development is the organization responsible for growing and
retaining business in the County. Its
mission is to work to create and support an environment that welcomes business,
and helps companies to grow and succeed over the long-term. This ultimately
will increase the standard of living for all of Dorchester County’s citizens by
providing more job opportunities with higher skills and better wages. Visit: www.dorchesterforbusiness.com for more information or visit us on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/dorchestercountyeconomicdevelopment/.
