During these times when employers are desperately seeking workers, the Upper Savannah COG workforce development staff recognized high school students as a resource to help fill some of the needs.

This past spring, Upper Savannah reached out to more than 2,000 seniors in 14 public high schools in the seven-county area with a “Your Next Step After Graduation” booklet listing who might hire them.

It was part of a project called Graduates Preparing for Success (GPS), aptly named because high school students need GPS-like directions on how to apply for jobs.

For its efforts, Upper Savannah has received a 2021 Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) for the GPS Project.

The GPS Project was one of two NADO Awards which USCOG received. Upper Savannah was also honored for the Abbeville County Federal Lands Access Improvements Project.

NADO is a Washington, DC-based membership association of regional development organizations that promote programs and policies that strengthen local governments, communities, and economies through regional cooperation, program delivery, and comprehensive strategies.

The association’s Impact Awards program recognizes regional development organizations and their partners for improving the economic and community competitiveness of our nation’s regions and local communities.

Each year, 2,000 or more seniors graduate from the 14 public high schools in Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry and Saluda counties. Some continue on to four-year colleges while others aspire to only graduate high school, advancing immediately into the job market. Some college-bound seniors still want jobs with flexible hours to earn some income while they go to school.

The main focus of the GPS project was creating the booklet which lists employers who hire current high school students or recent graduates, information about the employer’s hiring process and recruitment method, incentives offered such as if the employer sponsors free training, and if they offer apprenticeships, flexible hours and tuition reimbursement; and also website address.

Approximately 90 employers are listed in the booklet which was distributed to each of the 2,000-plus graduates in May 2021. The S.C. Workforce Development Board provided the funding to print the booklets which also include helpful job search and interview tips.

Upper Savannah staff and workforce development partners also developed as part of the GPS project pop-up job fairs that were held in conjunction with high school graduation practices in May 2021. After practice, the employers were there waiting, enabling students to find out who had immediate openings and to put in applications.

Students were also exposed to information about SC Works Centers, which can assist them in finding work now and/or in the future. Without the GPS project, none of this information would have been available to this young pool of potential workers.

The Abbeville County Federal Lands Access Improvements Project is in the planning stage and could take some time to complete with assistance from the S.C. Department of Transportation.

The project involves better constructed roadways and trail heads with designated parking at three locations that will enhance the mobility and accessibility of all visitors to the Sumter National Forest in southeastern Abbeville County.

Abbeville County received a $3 million Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) grant to fund the project. USCOG applied for the funding on behalf of the County.

Paved, maintained roads are available to a certain point, but the last mile or so at each location is not up to standard. Because there are no designated parking areas, visitors park along the side of the road and create dangerous conditions for other drivers and pedestrians. There were six total motor vehicle accidents in the area of these locations in the past few years.

Clearing, paving, and creating designated parking areas will provide a stable foundation with more pavement width for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to use the roadways together safely.

Award-winning projects were recognized during NADO’s 2021 Annual Training Conference, held in Portland, Ore., on October 16-19. The 2021 class of award recipients consists of 102 projects from 70 organizations spanning 24 states.

“During the past 20 months, regional development organizations across the country have shown just how valuable they are in supporting the local communities they serve,” said 2019-2021 NADO President Kevin Byrd, executive director of the New River Valley Regional Commission, located in Radford, Va.

“From COVID-19 response and recovery initiatives, to workforce and economic development projects, to social services programs and much more, the 2021 NADO Impact Awardees highlight the many ways our members work on the ground every day to improve quality of life in their regions.”

The NADO Impact Awards are presented in honor of the late Aliceann Wohlbruck who was NADO’s first executive director and served 24 years as a tireless champion for regional approaches to economic development in rural communities.

Since 1967 NADO has provided advocacy, education, networking, and research for the national network of 540 regional development organizations. NADO members provide professional, programmatic, and technical assistance to over 2,300 counties and 15,000 municipalities.

The Upper Savannah COG is one of nine organizations nationwide to receive U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) funding to help provide training and employment services for job seekers as the economy recovers from the coronavirus pandemic’s impacts.

USCOG’s workforce development staff applied for the funding on behalf of a consortium of five workforce development areas across the state. Upper Savannah is the lead applicant.

The consortium receiving the funds includes Upper Savannah: Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry and Saluda counties; Upstate: Cherokee, Spartanburg and Union counties; Low Country: Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties; Pee Dee: Chesterfield, Marlboro, Darlington, Florence, Dillon and Marion counties; and Lower Savannah: Aiken Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties.

Together, the five areas had more than 100,000 claimants exhaust unemployment insurance (UI). As of July 2021, South Carolina no longer provided Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation.

The funding will be used to help reach those who have exhausted their UI and need re-employment.

“South Carolina had a substantial reduction in WOIA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) funding,” Upper Savannah Workforce Development Director Ann Skinner said. “The five Workforce Boards anticipate needing funding to respond to the recovery.”

Skinner said workforce development staffs have not been able to reach dislocated workers as well as they have before the pandemic.

“Traditionally, we have responded to events such as plant closings and provided an orientation and offered on-site services. During the pandemic, workers were laid off without notice. Many were fearful of going to an SC Works Center to do job searches (due to the pandemic). We need to have a systematic way of reaching those who are at risk of not returning to work. We will use funding to conduct outreach and develop On-the-Job training contracts.”

Long-term UI claimants are less marketable because they do not have a consistent work history, Skinner said.

“Many have been without health insurance benefits while unemployed. They are now without income support and may need help accessing services,” she said.

The Upper Savannah Area has faced many challenges, including preparing for the closing of the Fuji plant which will result in the loss of 400 jobs by 2022.

Skinner said these aren’t normal times.

“There is unprecedented need at this time for workforce services,” she said. “Employers are rebuilding their workforce following the pandemic. Job seekers are struggling to find jobs which pay as much as the pandemic unemployment benefits paid.

“South Carolina is using CARES funding to offer free tuition for short-term community college programs. Traffic in SC Works Centers dipped during the pandemic and has not yet returned to normal. We plan to engage in outreach to get customers to Centers and alert them to opportunities.”

Assisting the unemployed includes starting with individual assessment and career planning. The goal is to build on clients’ existing skills.

“We will conduct targeted job development to create On-the-Job Training (OJT) opportunities. It is anticipated that significant staff support will be needed to help clients develop soft skills. We will offer supportive services (transportation, dependent care, medical and work clothing). Utilizing OJT will align training with employer needs and provide immediate income support for dislocated workers,” Skinner said.

All five areas operate formula dislocated worker programs and connect with partners as part of the SC Works system, she said. This grant will build on those connections.

USCOG plans on developing videos that will serve as an orientation to dislocated worker services. The video will be placed on YouTube and have links on Local Workforce Boards’ websites. A portion of the video will be generic to South Carolina, but it will be customized for the five areas, she said. Other videos might cover identifying transferable skills and labor market information.

Another plan involves crafting social media campaigns that can be used by all five workforce areas, focusing on getting the job seeker a higher wage and information about skill training. Specialized messages will be offered to high school dropouts and offenders.

Another goal is to get mailing addresses for all individuals who were in the job matching database the week before UI ended. Staffs will send a postcard to each of the approximately 120,000 individuals.

The strategies to be used with the DOL grant funding was crafted by five workforce administrators with more than 100 years experience. OJT was selected as the primary tool to get workers back on the job because income support is built in.

The grant funding will help local businesses as well as job seekers. OJT reimburses employers 50 – 75 percent of new hire wages.

Businesses inquiring about training reimbursement should contact USCOG Deputy Workforce Development Director Billy Morgan at 864 941-8071. Job seekers should contact the Greenwood County SC Works Center at 864 229-8872.

High school seniors in the Upper Savannah Workforce Area will soon be learning who might hire them and what kind of training is available as they take the “next step” after graduation.

Upper Savannah workforce staff created a “Your Next Step After Graduation” directory of employers who hire recent high school graduates and are distributing to all graduating seniors at public high schools in the Upper Savannah Workforce Area.

The Area includes Abbeville (112 seniors), Dixie (68), Strom Thurmond (175), Emerald (179), Greenwood (309), Ninety Six (106), Ware Shoals (59), Laurens (307), Clinton (192), McCormick (45), Mid-Carolina (175), Newberry (134), Whitmire (51) and Saluda (126) high schools. There are more than 2,000 Area graduates in the Class of 2021.

The directory includes an alphabetical listing of approximately 100 companies in the Area which responded to a survey indicating they hire current high school students and recent graduates. The directory includes additional information such as website addresses and whether they offer flexible hours, tuition reimbursement, etc.

“The state of South Carolina wanted us to engage with high school students because that is untapped talent for employers who are screaming that they need people,” said Upper Savannah Workforce Development Deputy Director Billy Morgan, who played a major role in production of the directory.

“Not every high school student is going straight to college, and people who are going to college are looking for part-time jobs or jobs with flexible schedules so they can go to school at the same time.”

The directory funded by an S.C. Workforce Development Board grant also provides information about training opportunities and assistance available for several health care programs to automotive technology, mechatronics, HVAC and welding, and several others.

The directory also includes encouraging tidbits for seniors making that next step, stressing the importance of an up-to-date resume, a good phone number, and a professional e-mail address.

The directory also includes quotes about the importance of putting forth effort, being punctual, showing the willingness to learn, and exhibiting good work ethic.

The directory also shares several interview tips that stress strong communication skills needed to land a good job.

Another page is filled with helpful tips for graduates such as not making an education or career choice based on what friends are doing, never passing up an opportunity to meet someone new, and making time to look for part-time jobs, internships or volunteer opportunities.

Upper Savannah workforce development staff recently learned there is a shortage of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics in the Region and sought funding to fix the situation.

Upper Savannah COG applied for and recently received a $500,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to train 100 emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry and Saluda counties. The grant award was announced this month.

“The goal is to expand the pool of EMT basic all the way to advanced paramedics,” Upper Savannah COG Workforce Development Administrator Ann Skinner said.

This is a four-year grant applied jointly with the Pee Dee Council of Governments in Florence. The Pee Dee Region will receive $2 million.

“We applied together to increase the chances of the grant being funded,” Skinner said. “But there were statewide issues that we thought we could work on together. The Pee Dee grant is focused more on careers leading to nursing and is hospital-based. Ours is based with the county EMS services.”

According to a recent survey conducted by Piedmont Technical College (PTC), each county in the Upper Savannah Region had vacancies due to a lack of skilled applicants and staff turnover. Greenwood County had 17 vacancies, Laurens eight, Newberry and Edgefield five apiece, Saluda and Abbeville four apiece, and McCormick three.

The grant period begins Feb. 1, 2021, when Upper Savannah can begin to enroll trainees and pay for classes. PTC will be the educational provider while USCOG will administer the grant.

“We are going to have a boot camp this summer for recent high school graduates who are interested in becoming an EMT or paramedic,” Skinner said. “During the summer, they will receive training for basic EMT.

“After the end of the summer, they will have the chance to continue on with school to work toward becoming a paramedic or they will have an opportunity to go to work for one of the seven county EMS systems who are hiring. And if they go to work as an EMT, they can earn a living and continue school part-time to enhance their credentials and earn more.”

The grant will promote more than just the basic EMT curriculum.

“We interviewed Human Resources directors who do exit interviews and asked, ‘why do people quit EMT?’” Skinner said. The answers included stress, long hours and the physical aspects of the job.

“So we will build the boot camp around a retention model,” she said. “Some of the things we have built into the boot camp is some mentoring and counseling so that they can prepare themselves for the emotional and physical aspects of the job.

“We are building into the curriculum weight training. If they are coming straight out of high school, they might not have the physical stamina to lift a patient, so we are building in weight training through the Greenwood YMCA.”

Trainees will also be taught how to sleep.

“There are strategies for how to go to sleep. If you are working a shift job and you can’t go to sleep, you are tired, you can be dangerous, you burn out quickly,” Skinner said.

She said USCOG will work with county EMS directors to make sure they have trained staff to fill their open positions and tailor the training to meet their needs. Having full staffs can reduce overtime and even worker’s compensation cases.

County governments have worked hard to meet local needs during the pandemic. Getting a larger pool of available workers will reduce overtime costs.

This was Upper Savannah’s first-ever workforce development federal grant application and the successful award is a win for everybody in the region.

“Every resident wants fast, professional emergency medical services,” Skinner said. “They want to know if they have a need, that they can call and somebody will come. It’s a universal need.”