SC unemployment agency seeking $15M for workforce initiative

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s unemployment agency is seeking $15 million for a workforce initiative that officials say will train thousands of people annually for available jobs.

Details of the initiative Gov. Nikki Haley announced during last month’s State of the State address are still being worked out. But officials say it will help those who don’t qualify for the state’s decades-old ReadySC training program, which is tied to job-recruitment efforts.

The new initiative has two parts.

Department of Employment and Workforce Director Cheryl Stanton told a House panel Tuesday that businesses having trouble finding skilled workers could partner with a local technical college. And eligible people can get their training paid for by the state.

The worker would have to pay that back. Stanton says that piece is essentially a scholarship program.