SACSCOC Workforce Initiative
Connecting higher education to careers.
SACSCOC Workforce Initiative | Supported by a grant from the Lumina Foundation
The workforce gap won’t close by itself. We’re creating infrastructure to bridge it.
SACSCOC has launched a two-year initiative, supported by the Lumina Foundation, to help member colleges and universities bridge the gap between academic programs and workforce needs — and develop lasting infrastructure to keep pace with a changing economy.
170+ participating institutions. One coordinated effort.
Get more information about the SACSCOC Workforce Initiative:
Dr. Sandra Jordan
SACSCOC Chief of Staff and Vice President
sjordan@sacscoc.org
Workforce needs are clearly identified. Labor market data highlights the gaps. Employers point out the shortages.
But turning that data into action at the institutional level through new programs, clearer career paths, and better alignment between what students learn and what employers need is where the system often fails.
That translation doesn’t happen automatically. It requires infrastructure, collaboration, and a community of practice that connects institutions across different types and state lines. That’s what this initiative aims to build.
Workforce Coordinator Network.
The Workforce Coordinator Network is at the heart of this initiative. Participating institutions designate a campus leader — a Workforce Coordinator — who connects their institution with the broader workforce ecosystem and represents them in a national community of practice.
Coordinators don’t work in isolation. They work alongside peers from community colleges, research universities, HSIs, HBCUs, and professional schools to analyze workforce data, identify program gaps, and co-develop strategies that work across institutional types. This is not a compliance program. There are no accreditation requirements tied to participation. This is a professional network for institutional leaders who want to get ahead of workforce change — with the backing of SACSCOC and the Lumina Foundation.
More than 170 colleges and universities and 6 systems signed on to participate in the Network.
More about the SACSCOC Workforce Initiative
SACSCOC Workforce News
Workforce Blog - Building a Regional Workforce: Lessons from Horry-Georgetown Technical College
By Anvi Goyal
SACSCOC Workforce Communications Intern
Employers along South Carolina’s Grand Strand depend on a workforce prepared for careers in healthcare, advanced manufacturing, public safety, and skilled trades. Meeting those needs requires close collaboration between education and industry. Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC) has embraced that role for decades.
The institution, located in Conway, S.C., is one of the largest technical colleges in the state and has aligned many of its academic and workforce training programs with regional needs. That strategy is reflected in the institution’s steady improvement in student outcomes, including an increase in graduation rates from 18% in 2014 to 38% in 2024. More than one-quarter of awarded credentials are in health-related fields, reflecting continued demand for healthcare professionals across the region.
The gains are particularly notable because many HGTC students are first-time, in-state college students. A significant reason for these impacts is the institute’s focus on workforce development partnerships with local employers.
HGTC’s industry partnerships benefit enrolled students, partner employers, and job training service providers. In addition to academic programs, HGTC provides job training opportunities with local companies and industries through platforms such as Ed2Go online training, Quick Jobs programs, and Apprenticeship Carolina. Over the last decade, the school has seen a 706% increase in the number of training certificates it awards. The institute offers online classes and career training programs, as well as short-term training programs designed for emerging and leading fields in Computer and IT, Health Care, Manufacturing and Trade, and Business. Some of these tie-ups with Carolina-based specialized training and apprenticeship programs also allow hands-on learning in construction, plumbing, golf-course management, and several other fields. HGTC’s workforce development partnerships with the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation and the WorkReady SC initiative also support student- and resident-owned businesses and start-ups operating in South Carolina and partner with corporations that provide training to job creators and new organizations.
HGTC’s website states that 90% of all enrolled students from the institute’s establishment through today work in Horry and Georgetown Counties as part of the local workforce. Trends also suggest that HGTC students’ community economic impact exceeds $55 million each year. These figures therefore demonstrate how technical colleges’ workforce development commitments can both provide employment opportunities and cultivate specific skills highly sought after locally. These upward enrollment and employment trends from HGTC’s workforce development commitments positively reflect the individual and community-level economic impact of sustained university partnerships with local industries and employers.
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