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Charleston Business

BofA Invests More Than $420,000 To Support Long-Term Workforce Development In S.C.

Oct 30, 2018 09:40AM ● By Kathleen Maris

Bank of America announced $421,000 in funding in workforce development programs across the state at the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 Workforce Development Symposium. The funding will support programs that strive to advance economic mobility for individuals and families in South Carolina and put them on a path toward financial sustainability.

Critical needs jobs account for 45 percent of South Carolina’s workforce, while only 29 percent of people have the necessary skills to fill those jobs. The funding provided by Bank of America will go towards closing the skills-gap, one of the state’s largest economic challenges, with one third of the overall funding committed to South Carolina technical colleges, providing apprenticeship certification and job training programs.

“We understand that individual paths toward economic mobility differ, but job skills and training are a fundamental building block and first step in achieving long-term success,” said Kim Wilkerson, South Carolina state president at Bank of America. “As part of our mission to improve financial lives through the power of every connection, we’re proud to help elevate communities across the state by giving community members the power to achieve long-term financial sustainability.”

The $421,000 in funding is being distributed to local and state-wide organizations and schools accordingly:

· Columbia – Boys and Girls Clubs of the Midlands, City Year, Columbia Urban League, Communities in Schools of the Midlands, EdVenture Children’s Museum, Junior Achievement of Greater South Carolina, Lexington Medical Center Foundation, Midlands Education and Business Alliance (MEBA), Midlands Tech College Foundation, Palmetto Health Foundation, Service Corp of Retired Executives (SCORE), and Youth Corp.

· Charleston – Center for Women, Charleston Chamber Foundation, Junior Achievement, Tri-County Cradle-To-Career Collaborative, Trident Literacy Association, Trident Technical College Foundation, Trident United Way, and YESCarolina.

· Myrtle Beach – Boys and Girls Club of the Grand Strand, Horry County K-12 Foundation, SOS Healthcare, and Junior Achievement of Greater S.C.

· Upstate – Boys and Girls Clubs of the Upstate, Clemson University, Goodwill Industries of Upstate, Greenville Technical College, Homes of Hope, Junior Achievement of Upstate South Carolina, Spartanburg Academic Movement, Spartanburg Community College, Tri-County Technical College, United Way of Greenville County, and Upstate Warrior Solution.

Bank of America focuses on building pathways to economic mobility by addressing issues of workforce development and education, basic needs and community development. The initiative ladders up to the company’s commitment to responsible growth as it works to improve the financial lives of individuals and families and build better financial habits in order to help them achieve long-term success.