St. George, South Carolina

September 2, 2009 – Dorchester
County broke ground this morning to construct the QuickJobs Center which will
be located at the corner of Highway 78 and Academy Road in Saint George. The Center
is a partnership between Dorchester County, Trident Technical College, the
Upper Dorchester County Legislative Delegation and the South Carolina
Department of Commerce.

The purpose
of the QuickJobs Center is to bridge the gap between the manufacturing skills
required by industry and the lack of available training opportunities in upper
Dorchester County. Trident Technical College will provide targeted workforce
training with a curriculum of courses structured to meet both the needs of students
in the area and the requirements of local industries that are looking to hire individuals
with particular skill sets.

Charleston
firm Rosenblum Coe Architects, Inc. completed the design for the new center
which will be a one-story, 5,630 square-foot building. The exterior will
include brick and arch elements that match the new courthouse, the centerpiece
of the campus. Inside the Center will be three dedicated classrooms and
flexible space that can also function as a fourth classroom. It will serve the
industries and citizens of upper Dorchester County and the surrounding area.

Dorchester County received a $1.3 million
Community Development Block Grant from the South Carolina Department of
Commerce for the design and construction of the QuickJobs Center. With
unemployment reaching 10.1 percent in July, the QuickJobs Center will serve as
a critical resource in the community for both job seekers looking to enhance
their skills and employers looking for trained workers.