"Better access to better jobs" for Calhoun County residents is the goal of the QuickJobs Development Center which will be established in coordination with Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College thanks to a grant of nearly $1 million the county received Monday.

Calhoun County was awarded the $994,500 grant through the South Carolina Department of Commerce. Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College and the Lower Savannah One Stop Workforce Development System are also partners in the grant. The Community Enrichment Grant program falls under the auspices of the Community Block Grant Program and provides funds to make education and workforce development programs more accessible.

Funds will be used to construct, staff, equip and maintain the QuickJobs Development Center designed to serve the residents of Calhoun County. The QuickJobs Development Center will be built adjacent to the new Calhoun County Library and will provide a physical presence in the county.

Groundbreaking for the new facility is expected to take place in early spring with construction beginning this summer. The QuickJobs Development Center should be operational in the summer of 2009.

Bonnie Ammons, assistant director of Federal Programs Grants Administration for the S.C. Department of Commerce, presented the grant to Calhoun County officials. She said the center is part of a statewide $8.4 million program to "provide training courses specifically based on locally ide.jpgied needs or shortages." She said the St. Matthews center is one of six QuickJobs Centers being built in counties that do not have adequate technical college facilities within the community.

The facility will be approximately 4,500 square feet and will house a Tech-Net distance learning classroom, a multi-purpose classroom, a computer lab equipped to serve 25 students and a conference room that will be equipped with the Tech-Net capability, which will allow instructors and trainers to work from remote locations.

Dedicated space for OCtech administration and the area One Stop Workforce Development System will also be included.

Classes will concentrate on workforce development curriculum and job readiness efforts. Career development facilitators and financial aid counselors will be available for career planning assistance. Software for career exploration and preparation will be offered, and students may also utilize on-line resources to help in assessing career interests and personal skills.

The center is expected to be open during normal business hours and will also be open two nights each week. Special hours of operation may be scheduled to meet industry training needs. OCtech plans to operate training programs that are in direct response to expressed business and industry needs and anticipates training a minimum of 400 people over the first two years of building occupancy.

Based on a needs assessment of Calhoun County employers, initial training opportunities are expected to be available in areas such as industrial maintenance, truck driving, fork-lift operation, health care, welding, landscaping and data entry.

District 93 Rep. Harry L. Ott Jr., S.C. House Minority Leader, called the grant another example of partnerships at work, adding; "It's one more good day in Calhoun County."

Dr. Anne Crook, president of OCtech, said she sees the partnership between Calhoun County, the WIA One-Stop and OCtech as a perfect match to enhance workforce training for Calhoun County residents.

"With the development of the center, we will be focusing on QuickJob training which will offer short-term training for high-demand job fields. This should be a boost for employment opportunities in the county with the upcoming economic development activities in our area," Crook said. "It will provide support to our existing industries as well. In addition, the center will offer traditional training and will be partnering with the Calhoun County Library to expand opportunities for St. Matthews and the surrounding area."

"It's the beginning of a lot of work for us. Now let's put together quick jobs," she added.

Calhoun County Library Director Kristen Simensen said she was "very excited about the future." She noted that people were concerned about finding jobs and termed the new QuickJobs Development Center a "real opportunity."

"It's a great time to be a librarian in Calhoun County," Simensen said.

Calhoun County Council Chairman David Summers told members of the Department of Commerce and Lower Savannah Council of Governments Deputy Director Nora D. Sanders, "We appreciate y'all working with us. This has been a dream for a long time."

Summers noted that even though OCtech's campus is not far away, it will be ideal to have some classes offered in St. Matthews.

"It will also allow us to do special projects for industries," he said.

T&D Correspondent Larry P. Jordan can be reached by phone at 803-874-3276.

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