Unemployment during the new coronavirus pandemic and student debt are among the problems that the South Carolina Technical College System is helping to solve.
Dr. Tim Hardee, president of the system, spoke about how he is assisting on Monday during his presentation to the Rotary Club of Aiken in Newberry Hall.
“At the moment, student debt in the United States is $ 1.7 trillion,” said Hardee. “If you are between 18 and 39 years old in the United States, 20% of your net salary goes to pay student debt. Young people aged 25 to 35 are spending more on student debt payments than on food ”.
In South Carolina, Hardee continued, “the average graduate of a four-year institution owes $ 38,000,” which is among the highest in the country.
Students could significantly reduce their debt by attending a technical college for two years before enrolling in a four-year school.
“Students who do their first two years at Midlands Technical College and then their third and fourth years at USC (University of South Carolina) in Columbia, save about $ 30,000 in tuition, on average,” said Hardee. “This is in line with the student debt issue in our state.”
Hardee also discussed how federal stimulus money COVID-19 is being used to deal with unemployment in Palmetto State and the role of the Technical College System in that effort.
Governor Henry McMaster “invested $ 8 million of the allocation he has at his discretion” in the Technical College System, said Hardee.
He is funding short-term training – 15 weeks or less – for people in South Carolina who have lost their jobs.
“We hope to train around 3,000 people through this program,” said Hardee. “The idea is to obtain a skill set in 15 weeks that will make it marketable. This could look like an EMT (emergency medical technician) program, a CDL truck driving program (commercial driver’s license) or a cell tower technician program.
“We appreciate the fact that the governor has recognized that the Technical College System can help bring some of these unemployed people – hopefully quickly – back to the job market,” concluded Hardee.
There are 16 schools in the South Carolina Technical College System. They include Ai