New chief leading S.C.’s tech college system into future
Educating 58 percent of all the college undergraduates in South Carolina is a daunting task, but newly appointed technical system president Jimmie Williamson sees it as a distinction to be enjoyed.
It certainly is an indication of how far “tech school” in the Palmetto State has come, educating more students than the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, the College of Charleston and all other colleges and universities in the state combined.
“In 1961, the system’s founding fathers had the vision that technical education should be available to every citizen in the state of South Carolina and accessible within a 30-mile radius,” said Williamson, named S.C. Technical College System president and executive director in March.
“Today, our system enjoys the distinction of being the largest provider of undergraduate education in South Carolina,” Williamson said. “Over 91 percent of our students are South Carolina residents, with a large majority remaining in the state after graduation.”
The state Chamber of Commerce and Agape Senior are co-sponsoring an introduction reception for Williamson on Wednesday in Columbia, where former S.C. Gov. Ernest Hollings and former technical college board chairman O. Stanley Smith will be honored.
Hollings, 92, and Smith, 90, are credited with putting together the foundations of the technical college system and making it operational in 1961.
Williamson, too, is somewhat a product of the state’s technical school system, having been president of two of the state’s 16 technical colleges, Williamsburg and Northeastern Technical colleges, and he has worked at two others.
Most recently, Williamson, 55, worked as chief human capital officer at Agape Senior, a residential and health-related network of companies in Columbia, where he developed the state’s first apprentice program for health care.
Traditionally, apprenticeships were applied mainly to construction trades and vocations such as brick masonry, carpentry, plumbing and other such skills. Today, apprenticeships run the occupational gamut, embracing everything from information technology and advanced manufacturing to energy, healthcare, transportation, logistics and even tourism, according to the technical college system.
The tech system has to respond to business and industry in the state as a leader in both economic development and workforce development, Williamson said. And the growth of the system has always been directly proportionate to the expansion of business and industry in the state, he said.
During the recent downturn in the economy, Williamson said, South Carolina’s technical colleges experienced remarkable growth. “Our colleges across the state reflect the communities they serve,” Williamson said, including their population, demographic makeup, education and business and industry focus.
“I truly believe the S.C. Technical College System is one of the state’s educational gems,” Williamson said.
The system is made up of three major components, Williamson says, all aimed at economic and workforce development. Those components include the colleges, 16 of them and satellite offices across the state; readySC, which works with companies to give them recruiting and training assistance to get up and running; and Apprenticeship Carolina.
Growth in the apprenticeship division alone has been “phenomenal,” according to the state’s figures, which have gained national recognition and made the program a model for the nation.
Since 2007, the number of registered apprenticeship programs in the state has jumped to 653 from 90, statistics show, while the number of apprentices in the state has ballooned to almost 10,000 from 777 in 2007.
The program grows by adding about 120 new apprentices each month and registering one or more programs per week, the state board said.
“South Carolina’s Technical College system is vital to economic development in South Carolina,” said Otis Rawl, S.C. Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. “We know that there are many great jobs that require a two-year degree. We look toward the technical college system to fill that crucial need,” working together and with businesses every day to provide skilled workers, Rawl said.
“All of the citizens of our state are affected by the work of our system in some way,” Williamson said, whether through trained first responders, registered nurses, medical assistants, funeral directors, pre-school teachers or heating and air conditioning technicians.
“It is impossible to imagine South Carolina without this essential workforce.”
A Winthrop University and USC doctoral graduate, Williamson said the technical school system in South Carolina showed a $988 million economic impact on the economy 10 years ago.
“We suspect that figure will significantly increase since our footprint has been widened with the introduction of Apprenticeship Carolina and the sustained growth in the number of students we serve,” Williamson said.
If the system is to continue as it has on the original path developed by Hollings, Smith and the first state board, Williamson said the colleges require resources for technology, equipment and capital improvements.
They also will require a continuing influx of bright students, too, he said. “The role of human capital development cannot be diminished,” Williamson said. “We must be ever-vigilant in finding, recruiting and retaining the educational talent that will enable us to continue to deliver stellar, cutting-edge instruction.”
SC Technical college system by the numbers:
Annual enrollment 2012-2013 in S.C. technical school: 97,584
Percentage of graduates who got jobs in 2013: 83 percent
Academic offerings: 77 degrees; 28 diplomas; 1,100 certificates
Apprenticeship programs: 653 registered, up from 90 in 2007
Apprentices: 10,000, up from 777 in 2007
State tax credit for employers: $1,000 each year for up to four years for every apprentice employed
SOURCE: S.C. Technical College System
This story was originally published May 10, 2014 at 4:49 PM with the headline "New chief leading S.C.’s tech college system into future."