SC Chamber launches skills development program

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Two upcoming workforce development events aim to help residents find jobs and sharpen skills.

Recruiting Solutions, an employment agency, will hold a hiring event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at the Richland Library main branch, located at 1431 Assembly St. Agency representatives will be available to collect resumes and conduct interviews for manufacturing, office professional and information technology jobs.

Online registration is available at https://www.richlandlibrary.com/event/37869/register#eventRegisterRoot.

The S.C. Chamber of Commerce is launching a new online training program called Community Skills Initiative South Carolina which will help job seekers and professionals around the state gain new skills for in-demand roles in the digital economy. The effort is being funded by Microsoft Philanthropies, according to a news release.

The program is available to any S.C. resident age 16 and above and allows participants to complete training and certification on LinkedIn learning and earn points to win cash prizes.

The cornerstone of the initiative is an “Up-Skill-A-Thon” competition which will run from Oct. 17 through Nov. 15 and include $10,000 in prize money.  The competition will launch at the chamber’s Workforce Development Symposium at 12:05 p.m. on Oct. 4.

“The S.C. Chamber has witnessed financial, educational and workforce challenges brought on by the pandemic,” said Bob Morgan, chamber president and CEO. “When Microsoft approached us about a digital skilling grant, we jumped at the opportunity to take on a new challenge and fill a crucial gap in South Carolina’s workforce.”

The suite of online training and resources is now available through the CSI website at https://www.communityskilling.org/partner/scchamber.