Effectively Positioning the System for Success
Boeing’s recent decision to locate its second production line in North Charleston is a huge economic development success for our state. The System is proud to have played a crucial role in achieving this win for South Carolina. The work of our technical colleges and economic development training division readySC™ not only played a pivotal part in Boeing’s decision to locate in South Carolina but will lead recruiting and training efforts to build Boeing’s workforce in Charleston. Yet, this represents only one aspect of the SC Technical College System and its paramount importance to the economic well-being of South Carolina.
You may or may not be aware that the SC Technical College System:
- Educates more than 250,000 South Carolinians
- Educates South Carolinians to live and work in South Carolina
- 96% of our students are citizens of the state
- 85% remain in the state after graduation
- Offers SC students the lowest tuition cost available and the greatest flexibility
- Gives students a cost effective pathway to obtaining a four-year degree
- Provides customized training and workforce recruiting for more than 100 organizations each year to successfully start-up greenfield operations or expand existing facilities in South Carolina
- Increased registered apprenticeship programs in the state from 90 to 241 over the past two years, an increase of 168%
- Increased the number of active apprentices from 777 to 2001 over the past two years, an increase of 158%
- Educates more than half of all students enrolled in a public college or university undergraduate program
- Serves a diverse population of students who sometimes find it difficult to gain an education in the traditional format through distance learning and other opportunities
These impressive statistics only represent a small sample of what the System offers. What’s more, each of these statistics can be boiled down to the impact they make at a local level as well.
The Challenge…
When your impact is so far-reaching it is very easy for the message to sometimes get lost. The System represents different things to different people. The challenge in positioning the System for success was to connect these messages focusing on what the SC Technical College System is all about — jobs.
Emphasis needed to be placed on the vital role the System plays in preparing the state’s workforce for real jobs as well as its ability to drive future economic development and attract new companies. The positioning also needed to pull all the components together while not taking anything away from each component’s individual brand equity. And, most importantly, the positioning
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strategy needed to be cost effective and extremely budget aware.
The Result…
An identifying seal that unobtrusively connects all the elements of the System together in a cohesive brand accompanied by a proactive drive to educate South Carolina’s business and opinion leaders as to the vital role the SC Technical College System plays in the economic success of our state.
In short, when you think jobs, think SC Technical College System.
