Growing Our Talent Through Expos, Experiences, and Engagement
Growing Our Talent Through Expos, Experiences, and Engagement
Sumter and Lee counties in South Carolina have witnessed a surge of homegrown talent development programs that have soared far beyond initial expectations. What started out as an exploratory meeting of more than 30 workforce entities soon became a community pipeline of programming developed by TheLINK Economic Development Alliance.
An Education Summit spearheaded by the Alliance revealed the opportunity to focus on its number one asset – people. The first program that resulted from the summit was an annual Manufacturers and Technology Expo designed to highlight to 8th grade students the advanced technology in modern industry. Since the inception of the expo, more than 2,000 students have explored hands-on activities with industry and unlocked the mystery of manufacturing in this program alone.
The Expo’s continued success was the impetus for the community-wide eSTEAM Sumter Festival organized by TheLINK in 2018. With a tagline and goal to “Boost Your eSTEAM,” this event celebrates science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics and takes a long-term approach to growing our own talent.
The eSTEAM Festival brings together industry, organizations, parents and kids in downtown Sumter for an explosion of interactive exhibits, inflatables with scientific explanations, stage shows to showcase performance art, an opening parade, and a student art competition. Winners of the art showcase have their winning illustrations displayed on community billboards the following month of the festival. This year’s festival featured nearly 100 exhibitors from industry, nonprofits, schools and state agencies and more than 7,500 enthusiastic attendees.
With six festivals completed, eSTEAM Sumter has quickly grown to become the 2nd largest festival of its kind in the state – only behind a metropolitan area that is more than four times its size. eSTEAM is a part of the National Science Festival Alliance. It is locally loved, regionally recognized, and internationally awarded.
Another flourishing initiative is the Ross McKenzie Emerging Leaders Program for high school juniors, which provides meaningful engagement with community leaders through monthly sessions showcasing local and statewide leadership opportunities. As a school district-endorsed program, participants learn about economic and community development concepts, enhance their communication skills, and complete service projects. With only 25 competitive slots per academic year, students from up to seven different schools in multiple school districts have participated in this program. The last monthly session’s topic is College and Careers; students are matched one-on-one with local professionals based on their future aspirations to demonstrate their desired career can be achieved in the region. Many students have earned immediate internships because of this connection. At the completion of the program, the students receive three college credit-hours through the University of South Carolina-Sumter and are assigned to a non-profit board of directors during their senior year to offer insight and glean experience from seasoned board members.
Over the past four years, students from area high schools have participated in Graduate to Greatness, another talent development initiative presented by TheLINK. G2G is designed for graduating seniors who are uncertain of their plans after high school. TheLINK invites local business and industry, military recruiters, and colleges to engage with the students so that they can leave, “Enrolled, Enlisted, or Employed.” Because Graduate to Greatness is held just one month before graduation, only employers with open positions can participate, making it truly a hiring event. Students sit one-on-one with vendors onsite for interviews for actual employment opportunities and submit college applications onsite. Supplemental sessions on finance and life skills are also offered during the program.
Sumter and Lee counties are already bearing fruit from the seeds that have been planted. Eighth graders are experiencing modern manufacturing just in time for identifying their high school career cluster, businesses and Industries are hiring high school seniors, outstanding high school juniors are reaching the next level of leadership training, and ultimately the region’s eSTEAM is being boosted.
Sumter and Lee counties are truly part of the best of the American South – creating a strong and resilient pipeline for the future.