York County, SC (March 23, 2021) – In an effort to enhance York County’s hospitality and tourism workforce pipeline, Visit York County partnered with SC Works Catawba to identify actionable solutions to support the workforce needs of the area’s largest hospitality employers, particularly during this time of unprecedented growth and as the sector works to recover from the impacts of Covid-19.

To do this, Visit York County and SC Works hosted a curated discussion that convened education stakeholders and representatives from the area’s largest tourism employers. The forum provided the opportunity for members of the hospitality industry to voice their needs, learn about existing program offerings, and identify opportunities for local educational institutions to develop new curriculum, training programs, or course offerings.

Carowinds, Anne Springs Close Greenway, Apprenticeship Carolina, Clinton College, and Winthrop University were among the organizations represented at the event.

 “It is always great to hear directly from local employers regarding their needs in this critical sector of the workforce,” said Thomas Jarrod Monroe, Workforce Solutions Manager at York Technical College.

As a result of this discussion, York Technical College was able to tailor their new flexible Customer Service certificate program that will launch in August 2021 and will be influenced by local employer feedback.

Additionally, Visit York County will award an educational scholarship valued at $2,000 to a York County, SC student that is pursuing a tourism-related undergraduate program at a college or university of their choosing.  For additional details, click here.

To continue the momentum, Visit York County and SC Works will be organizing follow-up events to increase the awareness of available programs and funding resources, and to formalize the introduction of new workforce resources.

“We look forward to continuing our partnership with Visit York County to equip local hospitality employers with the resources they need to sustain and grow their business,” said Tyler Calloway, Regional Business Solutions Manager for Equus Workforce Solutions who moderated the discussion.