CHERAW, South Carolina — Northeastern Technical College is improving access to education to develop the workforce in Marlboro County. NETC was awarded $4.4 million in an Economic Development Administration grant to establish a workforce training center in Bennettsville. The EDA grant, combined with $1.1 million in local investment, will infuse $5.5 million to be used for economic development workforce education in the community.
“Access to higher education in rural areas is essential to building a 21st-century workforce. I appreciate the work Northeastern Technical College is doing to promote economic growth,” said Senator Lindsey Graham.
NETC will use the funds to complete Phase 2 the renovation of the former Winn-Dixie facility and include two expansions, totaling 18,000 additional square feet, of the existing building on the Marlboro Campus. In addition to training for diesel technology and advanced manufacturing, the facility will expand the welding program to include fabrication, a program designed in logistics to service existing and future warehousing sector, a construction trades area, enhance the regional applied health programs and provide additional Class A space for industrial training.
The effort is expected to provide area residents with the training and skills necessary for existing industries to fill over 300 current job classifications.
“Workforce is increasingly the single most important issue for prospective new business and industry. With this grant, NETC’s Marlboro County Campus will achieve its full potential, greatly benefiting our efforts to recruit new investment and jobs in the community”, said Ron Munnerlyn, Marlboro County administrator and executive director of Marlboro County Economic Development Partnership.
Through this investment in workforce and higher educational opportunities, residents can earn Associate degrees. Nationally Associate degrees can increase graduates’ earnings, as reported by The Center for Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment at the Community College Research Center at Teachers College of Columbia University, which found that women earn $7,200 and men $4,600 more than someone with no degree. NETC Marlboro Campus is currently serving, training, and educating more than 800 students a year that are residents of Marlboro County.
An investment in higher education is needed to establish a trained and well-educated workforce to attract new companies to the area. “You can’t have a strong workforce without investing in higher education,” said Dr. Kyle Wagner, NETC President. “This new larger facility will have a substantial impact on the community.”
Anyone wanting to donate to support NETC’s efforts in Marlboro County, you may do so through capital improvement projects within the NETC Foundation with a tax-deductible donation. All donations are used directly for such projects. Contact Erin Fann, assistant vice-president of Institutional Advancement at efann@netc.edu.
