Fairfield Economic Development

Between the precision science of the Savannah River National Laboratory, the skill and work ethic of the local manufacturing base, and the fresh supply of eager minds from USC-Aiken, USC-Columbia, Clemson University, and Aiken Technical College, businesses in Aiken and Edgefield have no shortage of options when hiring for important positions.

According to the 2000 census:

• The city of Aiken was the third-fastest growing city in South Carolina.
• Aiken County grew by 17% (significantly above the national average).
• Edgefield County grew by 34% (almost three times the national average).

Leading Edge Workforce

Home to 104,431 employees including more than 1,000 chemical engineers, and with an additional 171,439 potential employees available from the nearby Aiken-Augusta metropolitan area, Aiken and Edgefield counties offer a particularly high quality work force.

The facts:

• 78,600 eligible workers aged between 20-64 live in Aiken and Edgefield counties.
• An additional 240,400 prospective employees are available in the Aiken/Augusta metropolitan service area (inclusive of Richmond and McDuffie counties in Georgia)
• 84% of the area’s residents are high-school graduates.
• 21% hold college degrees.
• South Carolina is a right-to-work state, permitting companies to set individual salaries without union intervention.
• Only 2% of the Aiken and Edgefield workforce is unionized.

Job Screening and Training

Employers in Aiken and Edgefield have substantial job screening and training advantages: through the Center for Accelerated Technology Training (CATT), employers can hire a pre-trained and productive workforce before their first day of operation.

CATT works in conjunction with the South Carolina Employment Security Commission to recruit, screen, and test in the specific job skills required by each company. This program has become a national model for matching qualified workers with employers’ needs, as Aiken Technical College’s continuing education department works with local industry to train its existing workers, ATC and USC-Aiken can design training courses to meet a company’s specific needs and processes, and USC-Aiken can also provide a source for management and professional workers.