Human resources directors from Columbus County small businesses, schools, childcare centers, healthcare providers and emergency services gathered once again at Southeastern Community College on Aug. 15 to discuss hiring issues employers face and hear about solutions SCC provides.  

“We’re going to have a great conversation here today as we continue to develop our pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship program,” said Dr. Chris English, SCC President. “Job shadowing is critical, especially for those high school juniors and seniors, in career exploration. We’re so fortunate that our industry partners have embraced that.” 

HR directors emphasized more “pain points” they faced during the hiring process such as teachers getting paid more in South Carolina, housing and relocation costs for a limited qualified talent pool and Columbus County jobs treated as a “stepping stone” for getting experience. Other HR directors were faced with applicants’ inability to function independently, a sense of entitlement, unaware of work requirements and applicants lying about their qualifications.  

SCC Dean of Business Careers and Technical Training Angie Ransom said her team took the list of pain points presented during June’s HR directors event and rewrote the Pathway to Employment course curriculum to address some of the issues. Ransom’s team tackled the teacher applicant issue first in working with Whiteville City Schools and Columbus County Schools. 

“The idea would be to use three resources we have access to – job shadowing, internships and apprenticeships – to help them build a pipeline to their job sites,” Ransom said. 

The breakfast event hosted an industry partner panel that discussed the benefits SCC is providing to students in the form of PTE classes, internships and apprenticeships. Representing Black’s Tire Service was Gary Collier, representing Precious Minds Child Care Center was Clarice Faison and representing Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation was Sarah Wright. 

“Our industries need to open the door for shadowing so that the next generation workforce understands what opportunities are available,” Collier said.  

Ransom explained that Collier’s vision was to have students job shadow in multiple positions at Black’s Tire Service, not just in the tire warehouse. Collier wants students to work across all functions to see where they fit best. 

“One of the most significant advantages of participating in the apprenticeship program is the hands-on experience that my employees have gained from day one,” Faison said. “Thank you, Southeastern Community College faculty and staff, for providing the pathway to a dedicated workforce.” 

Ransom said that Faison and Wright incorporated internships and apprenticeships into their hiring model with great success. She explained that she wanted the HR directors to hear about the success of industry partners using the services SCC provided.  

“BEMC truly values our partnership with Southeastern Community College,” Wright said. “Over the past several years, they provided high quality interns that made meaningful contributions to the organization. We love working with their team and appreciate the opportunity to support the growth of students in our local community.” 

Rosemary Guendner, Business Engagement Manager for the Cape Fear Workforce Development Board, will attend the Dec. 5 HR directors breakfast to present Columbus County data focused on unemployment by demographics, population characteristics, inbound and outbound migration and place of work versus place of residence.  

At the next breakfast meeting, Ransom hopes to report on the success of National Apprenticeship Week in November, agreement signings from both WCS and CCS and updates from other businesses such as Council Tool and Columbus Regional Healthcare System.