Clemson Center Awards Workforce Development Funds to School Districts

From increasing student interest in science and technology to preparing high school students for careers in advanced manufacturing, the first funding distributed by the Clemson University Center for Workforce Development was accepted Thursday by school districts from across South Carolina.

The Workforce Development Center awarded 36 school districts or charter schools and nine technical colleges a total of $450,000 for workforce development initiatives. The school districts shared $175,000 and the technical colleges $275,000 to support STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — programs.

The awards were presented at Clemson University Sandhill Research and Education Center by the Center for Workforce Development and representatives from Duke Energy.

“Our company is strong if our customers and communities are strong,” said Clark Gillespy, Duke Energy’s state president for South Carolina. “We are proud to partner with the Center for Workforce Development to provide these important grants to strengthen workforce development in South Carolina.”

As part of its commitment to bolster South Carolina’s manufacturing base, the Duke Energy Foundation funded workforce development initiatives in the state with a $4.11 million award to help provide a next-generation workforce in key cluster areas.

Duke Energy tasked Clemson to manage educational, research and outreach activities in support of workforce development and STEM education.

With a focus on advanced manufacturing to support South Carolina’s burgeoning manufacturing industry, the Center for Workforce Development oversees distribution of the funds to partner institutions that include universities, technical colleges, K-12 institutions and STEM-oriented organizations through competitive funding awards, scholarships and internships.

Rebecca Hartley, program coordinator of the Center for Workforce Development, said school districts and technical colleges statewide have shown an eagerness to enhance the education of their students through an array of STEM initiatives. Programs beginning at the K-12 level are vital if South Carolina is going to meet its workforce development needs, she said.

“The proposals illustrate a clear understanding of the importance of workforce development through all levels of education,” Hartley said. “The Duke Energy Foundation funding allows these educators to implement their innovative ideas.”

In March, the workforce development center hosted a series of workshops where educators with a focus on STEM education learned how to apply for monetary awards to further their programs. All schools or districts that submitted proposals were funded.

Proposals that received awards include:

• Redesigning ninth-grade science curriculum to address advanced manufacturing and technology;
• developing and implementing districtwide STEM activity in each K-12 grade level to foster engineering skills, problem-solving and specific technical knowledge in electrical, mechanical, computer and robotic systems;
• developing after-school student study to explore STEM careers in advanced manufacturing and technology;
• increasing student interest in advanced manufacturing and technology, and improve training to better meet the needs of local manufacturing industry; and
• preparing high school students for careers in the manufacturing industry by increasing interest in the field, providing relevant training and offer exposure to training and career opportunities

The awardees were:

Schools and districts

Abbeville County
Anderson 1
Anderson 2
Anderson 3
Anderson 5
Clarendon 2
Florence 1
Florence 2
Georgetown
Greenville County
Greenwood 50
Greenwood 51
Greenwood 52
Horry County
Kershaw County
Laurens 55
Laurens 56
Legacy Charter School, Greenville
Marion County
Marlboro County
Oconee County
Pee Dee Math, Science and Technology Academy, Bishopville
Pickens County
S.C. Charter Schools
Spartanburg 1
Spartanburg 2
Spartanburg 3
Spartanburg 4
Spartanburg 6
Spartanburg 7
Sumter
Williamsburg County
York 1
York 2
York 3

Technical Colleges 

Central Carolina Technical College
Florence-Darlington Technical College
Greenville Technical College
Midlands Technical College
Northeastern Technical College
Piedmont Technical College
Spartanburg Technical College
Tri-County Technical College
Williamsburg Technical College