Training & Education
Dorchester County offers diverse education opportunities, including an award-winning public school system, numerous private and parochial school options, and more than two dozen college and university campuses providing easy access to a full spectrum of higher education opportunities.
K-12 Public Schools
Dorchester School District Two
As one of two school districts serving Dorchester County, the award-winning Dorchester School District Two is an educational leader in the Lowcountry. DD2 is the larger district, with 2023-2024 student enrollment exceeding 26,500. The Class of 2023 received more than $51 million in scholarship opportunities.
Dorchester School District Four
Dorchester School District Four serves the rising student population of Upper Dorchester County. District Four offers a strong curriculum for all academic levels that include Pre-K classes in preparation for kindergarten and elementary. The middle school curriculum incorporates exploratory offerings with a strong career decision-making focus. The District also offers honors/advanced placement, college prep, tech prep, and occupational courses.
Dorchester County Career and Technology Center
Dorchester County Career and Technology Center exists to be the leader in career and technology education, by providing a highly skilled and employable workforce with 18 programs designed to offer students advanced training and certification. DCCTC helps to cultivate the County’s future workforce by blending academic courses with career and technology education via unique programs including Auto Collision, Auto Technology, Architectural Design, Building Construction, Carpentry, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Electricity, EMS Technology, Emergency and Fire Management, Health Science, Masonry, Nail Technology, and Welding.
Regional Higher Education
Workforce Training
Apprenticeship Carolina
Apprenticeship Carolina™, leads South Carolina in registered apprenticeship programs that help businesses and communities thrive economically. Through innovation, partnerships, and a spirit of excellence, Apprenticeship Carolina catalyzes the promotion of registered youth, adult, and pre-apprenticeships.
Be Pro Be Proud
A custom-designed, military-grade, double-expandable semi trailer loaded with hands-on simulators of a variety of skilled trades including welding, truck driving, heavy equipment operation, diesel technician, lineman, and more has begun travelling throughout the state to schools, fairs, career centers, conventions, government events, military re-entry programs, and more.
ReadySC
ReadySC is committed to providing a full range of services to qualifying companies with the end goal of supplying your initial workforce.
SC Future Makers
The goal of the South Carolina Future Makers initiative is to expose and connect the next generation in the state of South Carolina to all of the opportunities it has to offer, close the STEM skills gap, and ultimately retain talent for future economic development and regional prosperity.
DD2 CTE
Students enrolled in Dorchester District Two's CTE courses have the opportunity to explore a variety of careers and gain understanding of course sequencing in their selected pathway to become "College and Career Ready.”
Trident Technical College Dorchester Campus
Trident Technical College, a public community college with campuses throughout Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties, offers more than 150 programs of study and an Online College and Evening College.
WIOA
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is designed to help jobseekers access employment, education, training and support services to succeed in the labor market, and to match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy.
Training Concepts
Training Concepts Academy is a business and technology training company that provides hands-on learning by industry experts. Courses vary from entry-level to advanced and cover a wide array of topics including cloud computing, cybersecurity, networking, project management, process management and more.
SC Codes
SC Codes is a learning platform and coding community built to connect South Carolinians to the education and resources they need to unlock careers in technology. SC Codes not only provides free access to technology education, it also connects, trains and empowers programmers across SC.
Arclabs
Arclabs has been training and testing students in welding, pipe fitting and inspection for more than a decade, with the mission to provide students the highest quality education and skills that employers need. Arclabs believes in learning by doing which is why all programs feature 95% or more hands-on training.
Palmetto Training
Palmetto Training, Inc. offers CDL, CNC, Welding Training & Forklift Certification in Walterboro, Hardeeville, Sumter and North Charleston, SC, with placement assistance to all industries and employer visit and recruitment opportunities on a monthly basis.