The Palmetto Goodwill in North Charleston, South Carolina, which is one of South Carolina’s largest not for profit employers, recently appointed our very own Kellye Whitaker to its Excel Center’s Board of Directors. Kellye is a Program Manager for NCGrowth-SmartUp, and currently manages all of our South Carolina programs.
The Excel Center is the first of its kind in the State of South Carolina, as it provides those that have yet to finish high school with the opportunity to obtain their certified High School diplomas (as opposed to GEDs). The program’s rigorous curriculum offers a unique opportunity to students with barriers to employment (i.e., those that may have limited education, limited work experience, criminal records, disabilities, etc.). These challenges are further exacerbated by an increasingly competitive job market. The Center provides both online and face-to-face learning, childcare, flexible schedules, career planning, and other support services–whatever is needed to help students be productive, prepared and successful as they work to complete their degrees, and prepare to contribute to the community and growing the local economy.
Alarming Statistics in South Carolina
Today we face an economy that has shifted dramatically over the past several years and the labor market is tight. Employers are having a difficult time securing the talent they need to perform the jobs they are trying to fill. Palmetto Goodwill, through its new Excel Center, has shifted its focus towards training and certification programs that will help people transition more quickly into the high demand jobs. One area of need that continues to surface is the educational gap in the workforce to meet the needs of local employers.
The economic downturn of the past decade has also made it even more difficult for job seekers who struggle to find consistent, self-sustaining employment. Nearly 65% of working-age people with disabilities are unemployed. Those who are employed earn, on average, $18,000 less than other workers. Nearly 550,000 working-age South Carolinians do not have a high school diploma, a critical credential in today’s job market, while two-thirds of the workforce lack postsecondary degrees. Experts estimate that millions of jobs will go unfilled over the coming decades due to lack of qualified workers. The lack of educational attainment contributes to other hardships for families and communities, including poor health outcomes and increased crime. For example, South Carolina currently ranks 24th in infant mortality, and over half of those released from prison each year are incarcerated again within three years.
The Excel Center’s Proven Success
The Palmetto Goodwill Excel Center is modeled after a similar program offered by the Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana. The Excel Center Network now includes 31 schools/centers across the nation in five states and Washington, DC, all of which are operated by local Goodwills. A recent research brief prepared by the University of Notre Dame shares the following:
• The Excel Centers are proven to be a successful, cost effective solution for high school dropouts
• After 4 years, graduates increase earnings by 35% compared to their peers
• Graduates are more likely to be working and enrolled in college than their peers
• All graduates — regardless of race, gender, or demographics — experience similar earnings outcomes
Moving forward, the first priority for Palmetto Goodwill is to change the current legislation in South Carolina to remove the age cap for adults to obtain a high school diploma. The organization’s efforts are beginning to finally pay off. In 2019, the State of South Carolina awarded the Center developmental funding to help move the project forward.