Upstate SC Alliance launches regional gateway to technical training programs
Although the coronavirus pandemic has slowed some areas of the economy, within many sectors, businesses continue to grow. A new Upstate initiative highlights those sectors and seeks to connect unemployed or underemployed individuals with short-term training programs that can place them in an in-demand career.
The platform, Skill Up, is a one-stop shop for individuals to explore the earning potential, projected growth, and training programs available for an array of in-demand careers that can be obtained with 12 months or less of technical training. In many cases, financial support is available for these programs.
Occupations on display range from information technology specialist to pharmacy technician to commercial truck driver — and, among the in-demand occupations featured on the site, there have been 46,899 job postings in the last 12 months, with an average earning potential for in-demand careers of $72,037.
The platform was created by the Upstate SC Alliance in partnership with the Upstate’s technical colleges: Greenville Technical College, Tri-County Technical College, Spartanburg Community College and Piedmont Technical College.
“Our goal is to inspire individuals to acquire new skills for better paying, more resilient in-demand jobs and connect people with programs available at the Upstate’s technical colleges that can launch their careers,” says Upstate SC Alliance President & CEO John Lummus.
The site emphasizes training programs that can be completed in between two and 12 months, informed by Strada Education Network research.
Strada finds that millions of American adults are aspiring learners, though two-thirds of those considering enrolling in education prefer non-degree pathways.
What’s more: fewer than one in three adults without degrees say they understand the available career pathways, valuable skills, and details about potential education programs “very well.”
Skill Up is an extension of the Move Upstate SC website and brand, which were launched in 2019 to attract individuals to professional jobs in the Upstate.
“The goal of Move Up has always been to connect employers and talent. And, the pandemic has presented an opportunity to address the skills gap by shining a light on those sectors that have remained resilient,” Lummus adds.
“Skill Up recognizes that the pandemic’s challenges may present an opportunity for some individuals to pursue new avenues. From hands-on manufacturing roles to network configuration to patient support, these careers have staying power and play an important role in our community.”
The holidays are nearing and given the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Christmas events and parades have had to be adjusted, postponed, or cancelled. As an organization that focuses on connecting the Upstate region, we wanted to provide a comprehensive list of the status of Christmas parades throughout our 10-county region. For further information and updates, be sure to continue to check with individual county and parade websites and Facebook pages.
Holiday Parades Scheduled in December:
Boiling Springs: December 5th, 10:00 am
Clemson Parade: This year’s event is entirely digital. Businesses and organizations have opted to compete in a window-decorating contest which will be featured online.
DenverDowns: December 20th at 3:00 pm
DuncanChristmasParade: December 6th, 2:00 pm
FountainInn: December 9th, 5:30pm
Greer: December 6th, 2:30pm
Landrum: December 12th, 2:00 pm
Liberty: December 5th, 6:00 pm
LymanDuncanWellfordChristmasParade: December 5th, 4:30pm
Mauldin: December 5th, 2:00 pm
Pickens: Tentatively scheduled for December 12th at 11:00 am
Simpsonville: Check out their drive-thru Christmas Parade, December 6th at 3:00 pm at Heritage Park.
Traveler’sRest: The annual Christmas parade in Traveler’s Rest will take place December 12 at 11:00am with several restrictions. Parade director Diana Kilgore is advising attendees to remain socially distant and wear masks or stay inside their vehicles. The event will also be live streamed on the Travelers Rest Christmas Parade Facebook page.
Williamston: December 12th, 3:00 pm
Cancelled Parades:
City of Greenville – Poinsettia Parade
Spartanburg Jaycees Christmas Parade
Clinton
Pendleton
Uptown Greenwood
City of Anderson
Easley Christmas Parade of Lights
Woodruff
Inman
Chesnee
Even though many events have been cancelled, there is still a great air of Christmas spirit in the Upstate. If your annual parade has been cancelled, check out a live-streamed option or venture to another county for a new experience. Stay safe this holiday season!
*The above schedule is subject to change. If you have any additions or changes, please send them to directly to info@tenatthetop.org. For more information on area Christmas parades, refer to our Upstate Vibe 365 Calendar.
Thank you all individually and collectively as leaders across the Upstate fighting the spread of COVID19. Something this big is going to take each one of us to minimize the spread.
Six Upstate counties are currently in the COVID red zone and all except one SC county are trending upward.
Consider hosting a free, drive-through testing site.
Public Health/Environmental Affairs are linked in SC with the Public Health team leading the way in case investigations, closely watching data, designing new IT tech, and are still very focused on providing essential services like clean water, clean air, cleaning up contamination areas, etc.
DHEC set up a Business Assistance Office to cover the economic crisis, maintain safety requirements, environmental controls. A line of communication was developed to maintain compliance and assist with Accelerate SC.
DHEC has focused on environmental justice communities around the state with support for others like Michelin who has donated up to 100,000 masks. A lot of our community members are at greater risk because of where they work (essential workers, etc.) but there are so many reasons why communities might be at risk/be disproportionally affected by COVID.
Fran Marshall, Director of the Office of Applied Science and Community Engagement
If 80% of people wore masks for 80 days, the virus would be virtually eradicated.
Distribution of the vaccine will be a long, tedious, and frustrating process, so please mask up.
County Updates:
Anderson: Neil Paul, Executive Director, Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau
Lake Hartwell is a tremendous resource which lends itself to outdoor recreation and tourism activities like fishing tournaments, bringing over 5,000 room nights to Anderson since the start of August.
With federal grant money, facilities upgrades and updates are happening, including an amphitheater and dock space are being made to Green Pond landing.
Working with City of Anderson to improve way finding.
Greenville: Dianna Gracely, City Manager, City of Simpsonville
Simpsonville growth booming despite the pandemic, including three assisted living permits, five multifamily projects (over 1K new housing units), and nine single family projects.
West Georgia Road is the next commercial road for development in Simpsonville.
Hospitality tax revenue will be used to update downtown with a plan to incorporate a festival street, streetscaping, fix traffic issues, and make it pedestrian safe.
Work on the Swamp Rabbit Trail is continuing.
Simpsonville has been rebranded with new signage and landscaping.
An arts center is be developed in an old school.
Downtown development includes new building $4M office, restaurant, light manufacturing, outdoor gathering space.
Mayor Senn, Mayor, City of Laurens
Recently dedicated Back Street Park: nod to city’s African American entrepreneurs.
Held a ribbon cutting downtown of a mural (postcard from Laurens).
A 140 home housing development and 1K homes on the way.
Sutter Sticks is bringing 80 new jobs; we have 4.8% unemployment and many new jobs coming.
We passed Capital Sales tax referendum, funds will be used for construction downtown and on Swamp Rabbit Trail.
Restaurant numbers are up 30% due to people staying close to home vs. traveling to eat.
On Wednesday, November 18th, Ten at the Top [TATT] hosted the Celebrating Upstate Unsung Heroes Virtual Event in place of their annual Celebrating Successes Luncheon. While this event focused on honoring the many unsung heroes who have gone above and beyond for their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, two of TATT’s traditional awards were also presented, The Burdette Leadership Award and The Welling Award for Regional Collaboration.
This event marked the fifth year that the Burdette Leadership Award has been given in recognition of Carol Burdette, the first female chair of Ten at the Top. The 2020 recipient of this award was Beth Padgett, who recently retired from serving as Executive Director of Compass of Carolina. This award is given to women who have stood out for their leadership and service across the Upstate, and Beth has demonstrated that through her volunteer work and career at Compass of Carolina, along with her current service as the District Governor for Rotary District 7750.
“Though we would have preferred to honor our award winners and Upstate Unsung Heroes during an event where everyone was in-person, it was great to be able to recognize deserving recipients with a virtual audience of 300+ watching,” said Dean Hybl, Executive Director of Ten at the Top.
The Welling Award for Regional Collaboration, named after Ten at the Top’s founding chairman, Irv Welling III, is awarded to individuals or organizations that embody the spirit of thinking and acting regionally. This year’s recipient was Michelin North America, for leading and fostering collaboration around the issue of mobility through their funding of the Upstate Mobility Alliance and support for the movement of people and goods across the Upstate. Mobility is critical to the mission of Michelin NA, which operates several facilities in the Upstate, and they have spent significant time, energy and resources championing this issue across the Upstate, country and globe.
ABOUT TEN AT THE TOP
Comprised of public, private and civic leaders across the ten-county Upstate South Carolina Region, Ten at the Top was created to build regional trust and consensus through data-driven research and regular convening of leaders and citizens to address key issues facing the region. Ten at the Top works with regional partners to encourage quality growth and enhance the economic vitality, natural and cultural resources and quality of life for Upstate residents both today and as the region continues to grow. www.tenatthetop.org.
On Wednesday, November 18th, Ten at the Top hosted the Celebrating Upstate Unsung Heroes Virtual Event in place of their annual Celebrating Successes Luncheon. This event focused on honoring the many individuals throughout the Upstate who have devoted their time and selflessly served their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
One individual per county was selected to receive special recognition during the event. Below are the 10 county representatives that were present for this special presentation:
Abbeville: Ethan Cornick – Dreams with Open Arms, Volunteer Anderson: David Baker – Anderson County, Emergency Services Director Cherokee: Dr. Carol McFadden – Know(2) Neighborhood Association, Volunteer Director Greenville: Marina Lewis – Mauldin High School, Social Worker Greenwood: George McKinney – Greenwood County, Emergency Management Director Laurens: Joey Avery – Laurens County, Emergency Management Director Oconee: Vanessa Earle – Prisma Health, Community Health Worker Pickens: Lesa Howard – 5 Point Church Food Pantry, Director Spartanburg: Charlene Cheeks – Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Upstate, CEO Union: Shanna “Nikki” Burgess – SC Works Greater Upstate, Talent Development Specialist Supervisor
“To adapt to these unprecedented times, Ten at the Top felt it was necessary to change both the format and focus of this annual event. We decided to bring the upstate together by recognizing the hundreds of individuals who have remained committed to serving others amidst the many unfortunate circumstances this pandemic has brought our way,” said Dean Hybl, Executive Director of Ten at the Top.
“We hope that our event has not only shown great appreciation to these 132 nominees, but also highlighted the number of heroes we have living amongst us in the 10-county Upstate region that we encounter daily.”
ABOUT TEN AT THE TOP
Comprised of public, private and civic leaders across the ten-county Upstate South Carolina Region, Ten at the Top was created to build regional trust and consensus through data-driven research and regular convening of leaders and citizens to address key issues facing the region. Ten at the Top works with regional partners to encourage quality growth and enhance the economic vitality, natural and cultural resources and quality of life for Upstate residents both today and as the region continues to grow. www.tenatthetop.org.
Upstate SC Alliance launches regional gateway to technical training programs
The platform, Skill Up, is a one-stop shop for individuals to explore the earning potential, projected growth, and training programs available for an array of in-demand careers that can be obtained with 12 months or less of technical training. In many cases, financial support is available for these programs.
The platform was created by the Upstate SC Alliance in partnership with the Upstate’s technical colleges: Greenville Technical College, Tri-County Technical College, Spartanburg Community College and Piedmont Technical College.
The site emphasizes training programs that can be completed in between two and 12 months, informed by Strada Education Network research.
Skill Up is an extension of the Move Upstate SC website and brand, which were launched in 2019 to attract individuals to professional jobs in the Upstate.
“Skill Up recognizes that the pandemic’s challenges may present an opportunity for some individuals to pursue new avenues. From hands-on manufacturing roles to network configuration to patient support, these careers have staying power and play an important role in our community.”
The holidays are nearing and given the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Christmas events and parades have had to be adjusted, postponed, or cancelled. As an organization that focuses on connecting the Upstate region, we wanted to provide a comprehensive list of the status of Christmas parades throughout our 10-county region. For further information and updates, be sure to continue to check with individual county and parade websites and Facebook pages.
The Welling Award for Regional Collaboration, named after Ten at the Top’s founding chairman, Irv Welling III, is awarded to individuals or organizations that embody the spirit of thinking and acting regionally. This year’s recipient was Michelin North America, for leading and fostering collaboration around the issue of mobility through their funding of the Upstate Mobility Alliance and support for the movement of people and goods across the Upstate. Mobility is critical to the mission of Michelin NA, which operates several facilities in the Upstate, and they have spent significant time, energy and resources championing this issue across the Upstate, country and globe.
On Wednesday, November 18th, Ten at the Top hosted the Celebrating Upstate Unsung Heroes Virtual Event in place of their annual Celebrating Successes Luncheon. This event focused on honoring the many individuals throughout the Upstate who have devoted their time and selflessly served their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.