Aiken Technical College students eligible for new Workforce Scholarship for the Future

Nov. 4—Aiken Technical College students will benefit from the $17 million investment South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced Wednesday.

McMaster is using $17 million from the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund for a new Workforce Scholarship for the Future program. The funds will address South Carolina's labor shortage be providing scholarships to technical colleges in South Carolina.

"Its gives the opportunity for people who maybe had to hold back furthering their education because of all of the concerns with tuition costs and it allows them to get into these programs and fulfill the high demand jobs we have in Aiken, we've got a lot of jobs in this region that don't have people in them," said Aiken Technical College President Dr. Forest Mahan.

Any adult or recent high school graduate in South Carolina is eligible for the scholarship. The recipients will be required to maintain a 2.0 grade point average and either complete 100 hours of volunteer service to a nonprofit, be employed or take a financial literacy course offered at the technical college.

Eligible programs for the scholarship are computer science and information technology, construction, criminal justice, distribution and logistics, early childhood education, healthcare, human services, manufacturing, nuclear and transportation, according to Aiken Technical College.

"This gives us the dollars that we need to have to help these students get into their programs," Mahan said.

The program will begin in January 2022 and the funding will be applied to eligible students' account balances for any tuition or required fee costs that remain after all other forms of financial aid, grants, and scholarships have been applied, according to Aiken Technical College.

"South Carolina must be proactive in addressing the labor shortage. This funding will take on the crisis head-on by providing thousands of South Carolinians with the skills needed to thrive in a number of high-demand careers," said Governor Henry McMaster.

McMaster also called upon the General Assembly to provide $124 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to extend the program through June 30, 2024, according to a press release.

"It's a great opportunity for anyone looking to upgrade their skills or to start a career path," Mahan said.

Aiken Technical College spring enrollment is open for new and current students. Students attending in spring 2022 will be the first to benefit from this new scholarship.