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McMaster announces $25 million for free tuition to South Carolina technical colleges

Workforce Scholarships for the Future will provide scholarships to cover costs and tuition to SC tech colleges

COLUMBIA, S.C. — In an effort to grow the state's tech-based workforce, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster announced an additional $25 million investment in the program that covers the cost of tuition to the state's 16 technical colleges.

The money will go to the Workforce Scholarships for the Future program. That program provides scholarships and covers required fees for any adult or recent high school graduate to pursue an industry credential or associate degree in high-demand career fields -- such as manufacturing, computer science, logistics, health care, criminal justice, hospitality/tourism, construction, or early care and education.

"With over 64,000 jobs created in just the last five years, South Carolina has experienced record-breaking economic growth," said Governor Henry McMaster. "To continue to attract more jobs and investment to South Carolina, we must invest in our people to make sure we can meet the ever-changing needs of our business community. Workforce Scholarships for the Future will help provide our people with good-paying jobs and our companies with the skilled workforce they need to succeed. We are ensuring that South Carolina’s economic success will continue for generations, and that South Carolina families will be the ones benefitting from it.”

The Workforce Scholarships for the Future grew out of an initial investment by McMaster of $12 million to the Governors Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Funds in early 2021.

To date, 6,198 South Carolinians have been trained through this program.

Those wanting to apply for a scholarship must maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) and complete a (FAFSA). Students must also complete one of the following requirements:

  • be employed
  • take a financial literacy course offered at the technical college
  • complete 100 hours of volunteer time to a nonprofit or public service organization

An overview of the SC Workforce Scholarships for the Future can be downloaded at sctechsystem.edu

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