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DEW's Labor Market Information (LMI) division is proud to announce the launch of its brand-new website: www.lmi.sc.gov. This site provides vital data about our state’s workforce, including statistics about the current job market, historical records, and a myriad of resources about our state’s employment, unemployment, industries, and occupations. Explore the official source of LMI in South Carolina by visiting www.lmi.sc.gov.
The South Carolina Coordinating Council for Workforce Development (CCWD) was formed in response to a general need for improved coordination of workforce development efforts. The General Assembly established the CCWD in Act 252 of 2016 to “engage in discussions, collaboration, and information-sharing concerning the state’s ability to prepare and train workers to meet current and future workforce needs.”
Through Act 194 of 2022, the CCWD was merged with the Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA) Coordinating Council, expanding the membership composition of the CCWD as well as adding responsibilities that include oversight of the Education and Economic Development Act.
Act 67 of 2023 further expanded the role of the CCWD to achieve and sustain South Carolina’s workforce potential through collaboration and coordination. This new era of the CCWD will better align and enhance South Carolina’s education and workforce system so that it is readily accessible, highly effective, and easily understandable.
Act 67 of 2023, “The Statewide Education and Workforce Development Act," was filed by Speaker Murrell Smith and expanded the Coordinating Council for Workforce Development to include additional public and private workforce development stakeholders, identified specific ways to optimize our state’s workforce, and designated DEW’s Executive Director as its chair.
The Act aims to eliminate duplication, improve efficiencies, and achieve a more coordinated effort in our workforce and education pipeline. The legislation is designed to maximize the opportunity for citizens by meeting the immediate and future needs of specialized industry workforce demands of South Carolina businesses.
The Act is available to read in full here.
The South Carolina Coordinating Council for Workforce Development has published the inaugural Unified State Plan for Education and Workforce Development. The Unified State Plan provides a systematic approach to streamline the state’s workforce development efforts, identify common goals, and improve efficiencies. The Unified State Plan is available to read in full here.
History
In January 2023, South Carolina Speaker of the House Murrell Smith introduced legislation, which became the Statewide Education and Workforce Development Act, to streamline workforce activity in South Carolina. One of the top priorities identified by the Act was to get agencies that support education and workforce development as part of their mission to agree on an actionable plan that would serve as the common framework for each organization’s individual initiatives and expertise.
The Coordinating Council for Workforce Development has collaborated to create the Unified State Plan over the past year. Meetings to develop the plan began in July 2023 and continued over time to identify key issues, create an initial outline, and determine metrics, all while obtaining feedback from a multitude of stakeholders throughout the process.
These efforts resulted in the Coordinating Council identifying three primary focus areas to address in the Unified State Plan: awareness, skills, and obstacles. Each focus area includes clearly defined goals, strategies, and metrics that will serve as measures of progress. In addition, the plan identifies Priority Occupations and high-value credentials that reflect demand from the state’s booming private sector.
Next Steps
Now that the initial plan exists, the Coordinating Council for Workforce Development will review and revise it as needed on an annual basis. The Coordinating Council’s Metrics Baseline Committee will spend the next year compiling applicable data to develop baselines for the metrics and recommendations for target values.
This section will feature upcoming CCWD meetings as they are announced.
Coordinating Council for Workforce Development Full Council Meeting
Monday, June 23, 2025
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Join In Person:
Harper Auditorium
631 Hampton St., Columbia, SC 29201
Meeting ID: 246 364 343 633
Passcode: BwAn8p
Click here to view the agenda.
Click here to view upcoming FY24-FY26 meeting dates
Unified State Plan
CCWD Annual Reports
Research Reports
Reports from CCWD Entities
Priority Occupations are identified based on current demand, projected growth, viability, and retention. These jobs are in high demand and forecasted to become essential, thriving careers with untapped potential. See the full list of Priority Occupations categorized by Career Clusters below. Learn more about some of these occupations by viewing job flyers available on our Explore SC@Work page here.
The Office of Statewide Workforce Development (OSWD) resides within DEW and is responsible for implementing the Statewide Education and Workforce Development Act initiatives under the direction of the Coordinating Council for Workforce Development (CCWD). On April 16, the SC Senate confirmed Governor Henry McMaster’s appointment of Dr. Rebecca Battle-Bryant as the first director of the Office of Statewide Workforce Development (OSWD).
The OSWD was created within DEW by the General Assembly under Act 67 of 2023 – the Statewide Education and Workforce Development Act – to coordinate, align, and direct workforce efforts throughout the state under the direction of the Coordinating Council for Workforce Development (CCWD).
An example of the OSWD in action is the ongoing development of the Central Education and Workforce Portal.
In its current iteration, you may know it as the Find Your Future South Carolina website (findyourfuture.sc.gov). However, this resource hub represents early phases of what will be a multi-year project to develop the full-fledged portal, which Dr. Battle-Bryant will oversee as OSWD Director.
FindYourFuture.sc.gov is a virtual platform created by the CCWD that launched in February 2025. This website connects South Carolinians with information that guides them on their education and job journey, as well as provide employers, educators, and workforce development partners across the state with quick links to the breadth of resources available to them. Importantly, this first iteration was created to get direct feedback from users to help continuously improve and grow the platform.