Work is underway on the Workforce & Education Blueprint, shaped by the ideas and energy of regional partners. Thanks to the investment and support of the ATI Foundation, this effort is helping bring educators, employers and workforce leaders together to create a stronger, more connected system for preparing residents for good jobs.

The College of Charleston’s Riley Center for Livable Communities is facilitating stakeholder engagement and strategy co-creation. However, the key to the Blueprint’s success is collaboration and the team has been working with a growing list of partners who are engaged in this effort:

• Apprenticeship Carolina
• Berkeley County Economic Development
• Berkeley County Public Libraries
• Berkeley County School District
• Boeing
• Charleston County School District
• Charleston County Economic Development
• Charleston Regional Development Alliance
• City of Charleston
• City of Goose Creek
• City of North Charleston
• City of Summerville
• College of Charleston
• Dorchester County Economic Development
• Dorchester County Public Libraries
• Dorchester School District 2
• Medical University of South Carolina
• Newport News Shipbuilding
• Palmetto Goodwill
• READY SC
• SC Department of Employment & Workforce
• The Citadel
• Town of Mount Pleasant
• Trident Technical College
• Trident United Way

Listening and Learning

Currently, we are in Phase 2 of the process, focused on intently listening to the people and organizations who know our workforce landscape best. Over the past several weeks, the team has been interviewing employers and workforce professionals across industries. These conversations are uncovering what’s working, where there are gaps and how programs can better align with the needs of local businesses.

A series of focus groups with workforce development partners will launch this week to continue that dialogue. These sessions will explore key topics like program capacity, access to training and how organizations can work together more effectively to serve students, job seekers and employers across the Lowcountry

Building Clear Pathways

The goal of the Workforce & Education Blueprint is simple: to make it easier for students and job seekers to find clear, connected pathways into good careers and for employers to find the skilled talent they need to grow.

This isn’t about creating another report. It’s about taking action together — aligning education and training programs, sharing information and identifying the practical steps that can make our regional workforce stronger.

Through this process, the Riley Center is helping collect and analyze data, elevate shared challenges and highlight opportunities for collaboration. Every conversation and survey is shaping a clearer understanding of how our community can work together to meet the needs of both employers and employees.

What’s Next

As focus groups and interviews wrap up, the findings will be brought together into a regional landscape report early next year. That report will outline shared priorities and practical strategies to help ensure our region’s workforce and education systems are moving in the same direction.

The momentum around this work shows what’s possible when our region comes together. Every conversation and partnership moves us closer to a future where opportunity is within reach for every student, job seeker and employer in the Charleston area.