Education

South Carolina’s Western region has a long tradition of highly technical and technologically advanced jobs – from the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site, to some of America’s most quality conscious manufacturers.

A Tradition of Highly Skilled Labor

Maintaining this tradition demands a highly skilled workforce trained to evolve with the rapid technological advances in the workplace. Therefore, we continue to place an emphasis on developing the workers that the business and industrial community needs.

Aiken County Public Schools

The Aiken County community is invested in public education. Aiken County strives to meet each student’s needs through offering school choice with several magnet programs like Aiken Scholars, Thematic Programs at all High Schools, and Aiken Works, a workforce development collaborative, in addition to the Career & Technology Center.

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Edgefield County School District

Edgefield is proud to tout many great attributes about our schools such as small student to teacher ratios; competitive teacher salaries; award winning sports programs; one-to-one technology devices; a dynamic arts program; and a variety of courses, such as Automotive Technology and Building Construction Technology, at the Strom Thurmond Career and Technology Center, to serve the needs of our students.

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John de la Howe School for Agriculture

John de la Howe – School for Agriculture is a state-funded, public, residential high school focused on providing a unique and challenging agricultural education program. Our school, the first statewide program of its kind in the nation, will allow students to receive hands-on training in the fields of agriculture, agribusiness, forestry, land management, food science, and more – all aimed at assessing the needs of modern farms.

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McCormick County Schools

McCormick County has a long-held tradition of academic and athletic excellence supported by a dedicated, hard working faculty and staff. McCormick Schools enjoy phenomenal community support and a huge network of successful alumni who contribute to various professions all over South Carolina and the world.

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Saluda County Schools

Saluda County Schools’ mission is to educate all students by providing a rigorous and relevant curriculum with supportive programs. To that end, we must equip our students with skills that will prepare them for the 21st century, by immersing students in curriculum that will prepare them for work in a global economy. Each member of our school district team is committed to this goal, and with the schools and community working as partners, our students will be prepared to meet the challenges of a global economy.

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Aiken Technical College

Aiken Technical College has approximately 3,400 students preparing for careers in business and industry. In 2015, ATC opened its Center for Energy and Advanced Manufacturing (CEAM), a state-of-the-art facility that houses the College’s welding, mechatronics, radiation protection technology and nuclear quality system programs.

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Piedmont Technical College

Piedmont Technical College (PTC) has with similar professional programs as those of Aiken Technical College. Three of PTC campuses are located within our region (McCormick, Edgefield, and Saluda), and one is nearby (Greenwood). The combined enrollment for all the PTC campuses is approximately 6,200.

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The University of South Carolina Aiken

The University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) is a comprehensive liberal arts and science institution and functions as part of the University of South Carolina system, combining the advantages of a small institution with the resources of a major university. USCA attended by approximately 3,500 students, offers 45 undergraduate programs of study, and 3 graduate programs (in business, education, and psychology).

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Other colleges and universities in the area or nearby include the following institutions:
  • Augusta Technical College
  • Augusta University
  • Lander University
  • Paine College
  • University of South Carolina

In addition to the standard coursework available through higher education providers, such as the University of South Carolina Aiken, we work with companies to create customized education and training programs that can be delivered in the classroom, or presented at the employer’s site – and we can identify funding sources to help defray the costs of offering these programs.

Available Sites & Buildings

If you’re thinking about bringing your business to South Carolina’s Western region, we’re ready to accommodate you with a broad variety of existing facilities and ready-to-build sites.

Infrastructure

When you’re competing in the global marketplace, connectivity and fast access are critical. Western SC’s location will put your business at the heart of a very fluid transportation grid, no matter which modes are important for you.