New workforce training center to add TCL education offerings

By Gwyneth J. Saunders CONTRIBUTOR

Nothing says “Bring your business, company or industry here” like having a locally trained workforce living in the community, ready to be hired.

That is why the Technical College of the Lowcountry’s recently announced endeavor stands to attract new employers as well as potential students and career-changers.

The Arthur E. Brown Regional Workforce Training Center will be the second building on the New River campus that spans Beaufort and Jasper counties on US 278. The 50,000-square-foot, state-of-theart workforce training center will offer new and expanded programs in construction, computers, business and entrepreneurship, logistics and more.

“We know that our community is emphasizing the importance of diversifying our economy, and so we have to diversify our workforce training,” said Leigh Copeland, TCL’s assistant vice president of Marketing and Public Relations. “We work hand-inhand with economic development entities in the area. And they say it’s really import- ant that they are able to promote a trained workforce.”

Named for a longtime TCL advocate and commissioner of Hilton Head Island, the center will increase TCL’s capacity by an estimated 850 students. There is an estimated three-to-four-year construction timeline and a price tag of around $26 million to cover construction and start-up operations, according to the college’s press release about the center.

“We are optimistic that both local and state dollars will fund this project,” said Vice President for Advancement Mary Lee Carns. “It’s really an investment that will pay for itself for generations to come.”

The center’s new programs also align with ongoing initiatives by local chambers of commerce and economic development organizations that are recruiting key sectors – aerospace and defense, light manufacturing and distribution, headquarters and back office, green and alternative energies, cybersecurity and more – to expand or locate here.

“These sectors have been strategically identified to fit well within the Lowcountry way of life while having the potential to offer higher wages and to create a more diversified local economy,” said John O’Toole, executive director of the Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation.

The educational options are numerous, with opportunities to earn college degrees, certificates and diplomas as well as fast-track certifications.

Many local military members and veterans engage in the industry credentialing program that helps them turn their aviation electronics and aircraft maintenance experience into future employment opportunities.

Please see WORKFORCE on page 8A