FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) — South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and members of the state Department of Employment and Workforce visited the Florence Family YMCA Tuesday afternoon, highlighting the importance of young people in the workforce.
Finding workers is one of the state’s top concerns, according to the SCDEW. Encouraging young people to get out and work will benefit employers and teach kids valuable life skills.
When you walk through the doors of the Florence Family YMCA, you’re greeted by young workers, eager to learn, grow and, of course, make their own money. Some are as young as 13 years old.
“I’ve learned that I have to have a lot of patience and that I need to always try to strive through to keep me going,” one young worker said.
Others are in high school and beyond.
“Some sense of dependability by being on time and when I’m needed,” another young worker said. “I learn how to problem solve whenever there is like small conflict.”
Another worker said: “My brother worked here, and my sister, so we’ve really been here for a long time. It just feels like family to me.”
The Youth Employment Initiative aims to provide a resource for young people to find jobs and help employers in need of workers.
That’s where SCDEW and Evette come in to say young people are the next workforce.
“Why do we want our young people working?” Evette said. “Because we need them. Your small businesses, your community businesses, those are the businesses that support your Little League teams and your soccer teams here at the Y. They need our help. They need our kids to get involved and get working.”
Brian New, CEO of the Florence Family YMCA, said he’s seen firsthand how valuable starting work at a young age can be.
“They come back to me and tell me what the Y has meant, what that first job meant to them and what they learned through that first job here,” New said.
SCDEW Executive Director William Floyd III said kids, some as young as 13, will pave the way for the next workforce.
“This is great to know where workforce begins and begins with Madison and younger,” Floyd said.
New said the Florence Family YMCA is always hiring young people. You can find a full list of jobs, here.
South Carolina leaders highlight conservative values at Faith, Family and Freedom Dinner
South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and United States Rep. Nancy Mace headlined the 4th annual Dorchester County Republican Party Faith, Family and Freedom Dinner Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Dorchester Shrine Club in Summerville.
“The Faith, Family, and Freedom Dinner is a cornerstone event for the Dorchester County Republican Party, celebrating the core values that define our community and our nation,” said Steven Wright, DCRP chair. “Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Congresswoman Nancy Mace are two prominent leaders committed to advancing conservative principles and advocating for the interests of South Carolinians.”
Mace said she was honored to speak at the event and considers Dorchester County a special place.
“It’s good to be back,” Mace said in an interview with the Journal Scene. “Dorchester County helped bring us across the finish line. We won Dorchester County by over 30 points, and I’m grateful for that.
Mace said she did not have a prepared speech and planned to speak from her heart.
“I’ll probably talk a little bit about issues important to voters in Dorchester County,” she said. “I’ll talk about my faith a bit, and just be humble and thank everybody for their support and offer to help them in any way.”
In her speech, Mace discussed inflation, the border and women’s issues, which she called the “top issues in our district.” She also spoke about her role on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and its hearing about the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, which led to the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.
Evette said she was happy to attend the event for several reasons, including Wright, who she lauded as a “dedicated and involved” leader at such a young age.
“It’s really important to support the young people who are getting involved, especially the Republican Party, because that’s what we have to do,” she said. “A few minutes of my speech tonight will be about opening our doors and getting more young people involved. How do we merge our young Republicans with our local GOPs so that we can be the big tent party we want to be.”
Evette said when she speaks to younger people, she feels they don’t think they’re welcome.
“They just feel like it’s an elite club for an older group,” she said. “I think you got to make it fun. Get business done quickly, and then it’s a social hour when everybody becomes friends; it’s much easier to get together and do fun things.”
In her speech, Evette said it is no secret that Trump will win South Carolina, so she urged those I attended to help in neighboring states.
“We have swing states to the south and north of us,” she said, referring to Georgia and North Carolina. “We got to come together. We got to help Georgia. We got to help North Carolina. It’s tight. We need to talk about our policies. We have great policies. We saw the DNC. Not one policy was talked about. They talked about feelings but not facts.”
Wright also handed out the DCRP’s annual awards at the event. June Fleming received the award for Executive Committee Person of the Year, Janette Chipas received the Most Outstanding Volunteer of the Year, Dorchester County Auditor J.J. Messervy was named Elected Official of the Year, and longtime Dorchester County Sheriff L.C. Knight was given the Lifetime Achievement Award.
GRAY COURT, S.C. – South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette made a stop in the Upstate to highlight the importance of young people entering the workforce.
Lt. Governor Evette along with the state’s Department of Employment and Workforce visited ZF Transmissions Tuesday. The manufacturing business employs hundreds.
Evette highlighted why working in a place like ZF benefits young people.
“Advanced manufacturing is really cool and we have to figure out as adults how do we talk to our middle schoolers how do we talk to our high schoolers about the cool things that happen in facilities like this,” the Lt. Governor explained.
“Really encourage young people to get off the couch, put their cell phones and video games down and learn important skills that will make them successful in their future careers,” Evette said.
The Lt. Governor added that young people’s first job is where they develop skills that cannot be replicated in the classroom.
“The first job teaches us everything we need to know, it teaches us those soft skills, about how to we communicate with our fellow employees and our customers,” Evette said. “Things that businesses not just in our state, but across our country have been begging us for. Those soft skills that people coming out of college and entering the work force just don’t have.”
Preston McCreary is in an apprentice at ZF. McCreary said what he is learning there will make a positive impact on his future career.
“In today’s world it seems that education is very important, but experience might be more important,” McCreary said. “You need to know what to do, instead of how to do it.”
DEW tells us that they are actively helping to connect young people like Preston to employers across the Palmetto State.
“We have more people working today than we ever had, but we need more of them and tomorrow’s workforce is coming out of the schools right now. At DEW, we have regional workforce advisors who come along side parents, teachers and educators and put them together,” said William Floyd, the Executive Director at DEW.
ZF Transmissions offers an apprenticeship program so young people enrolled in a technical college can earn credits while they get on-the-job training and experience.
Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette addressed the Greenwood County Republican Party during its August monthly meeting at Lander University.
On Monday, Evette urged the audience to come together, highlighting the importance of unity.
“South Carolina is a huge state when it comes to its impact on the world,” Evette said. “We are small but mighty and our impact is everywhere.”
Evette noted that South Carolina must increase its energy production to maintain growth and continue attracting new businesses.
State Rep. John McCravy thanked Evette for her efforts in floodwater prevention, her commitment to protecting South Carolina’s natural resources and for initiating the statewide “Grab a Bag” liter pickup challenge.
“Evette is one of the greatest advocates for our state,” McCravy said. “She was born in Ohio, but she has the South Carolina traditional values that we share.”
Evette reaffirmed her commitment to advocating for school choice and discussed key legislative actions from this year’s General Assembly.
Among the topics she highlighted were the “Help Not Harm” bill and legislation aimed at protecting children from online pornography.
“As parents, we need help,” Evette said. “There are so many things out there that we can’t monitor all on our own.”
Evette emphasized that her top priority is eliminating DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs from schools. She said she is a strong supporter of school choice.
“It’s a parent’s right and responsibility to determine the best educational path for their children,” Evette said.
Evette shared that during her first year as lieutenant governor, she made it a priority to visit any place that would host her, aiming to listen and learn.
“It was quite a leap for me,” Evettte said. “I went from owning a business to being lieutenant governor.
She also mentioned that she has enjoyed traveling to different parts of South Carolina and engaging in conversations about the diverse developments taking place across the state.
Evette has been South Carolina’s 93rd lieutenant governor since 2019, making her the first woman to ever hold the office in the state.
Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette brings her supporters, friends, and the people of South Carolina her 2nd Quarter e-mail update. April, May and June 2024 were very busy months — so here are just a few highlights on standing with President Trump, legislative wins, S.C. business features (large & small), S.C. non-profits who are making a difference, and a few personal updates.
Below is June 2024’s opening message from Lt. Gov. Evette.
A Message from Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette
Serving as Lt. Governor of South Carolina is a tremendous honor. One of the best parts of my role is that I get to travel across our state and hear from South Carolinians — business leaders, workers, educators, youth, and more — on the things that matter to them.
This is a pivotal time in our state and our nation, so I am thankful to all of you for continuing to work for a better and brighter future. You are making a difference! From the bottom of my heart — thank you.
MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette stopped in Myrtle Beach Tuesday morning to raise awareness for her new initiative, “Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders.”
“We want to get small businesses the help they need and we want to give kids the experience they need to be successful throughout their whole lives,” said Evette.
On May 1, Evette launched her new initiative in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce. She said the idea started during her time as a small business owner.
“You know, we turn out amazing kids from college, a lot of them you’d be surprised, have never held a job,” she said. “And so they have a great 4-year degree. Sometimes they have a master’s. But they’ve never had work at all. Practical.”
She said it’s that first job where you develop essential skills, like communication, time management, and taking responsibility.
She said businesses like Myrtle Waves instill qualities in young folks like Valerie Martin, who has been with the park for five years.
“I’ve worked in admissions and I’ve been a lifeguard so I’ve kind of done it all,” said Martin. “Definitely customer service is the biggest one. Learning how to talk to people, how to communicate, how to do things on your feet fast. And then definitely with lifeguarding, life-saving skills.”
Evette said the ultimate goal is for these skills to translate into any career path a young person chooses.
According to Martin, her time at Myrtle Waves will help her achieve her future ambitions.
“I want to do something in the medical field, so I’ll definitely use all of my lifeguarding skills when I’m working,” she said.
Evette said the other large part of the initiative is a user-friendly job board, making it easy for businesses to post open positions, and comprehensive for young people to find jobs.
You can find that job board and all of the resources this initiative offers here.
South Carolina’s young people are undeniably our future. Though they may be students today, they are our workforce of tomorrow and need to know about the great employment opportunities our state offers, especially to those looking for work for the first time. As South Carolina’s lieutenant governor and executive director of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce, we have partnered to help prepare our state’s youth with the skills they need to succeed in any career path through the recently launched Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders initiative.
Throughout this year, we are meeting with students and employers from the mountains to the coast. A recurring topic of discussion is the importance of our youth developing the requisite soft skills — effective communication, accountability, conflict resolution and many other important attributes needed to succeed in adulthood — and refining them by joining the workforce. Obtaining work experience while still in high school provides invaluable skills development, allowing teens to learn time management, teamwork and other practical skills crucial for employment.
While education is crucial, actual hands-on work experience through youth employment provides life-long lessons. Through Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders, we’re getting the word out to parents, teachers and teens about the importance and benefits of youth employment and the brand-new resources available to young people to support them on their journey into the workforce.
A new key resource now available to young people is the Youth Employment Site job board, an online job database that features work opportunities for teenagers with no prior experience. This dedicated hub for South Carolina’s youth showcases local businesses statewide that hire young people, as well as the job opportunities currently available to them and how to apply. The YES job board is searchable by ZIP code, age and experience level, and serves as a tailored and interactive introduction to the workforce for teens.
The available resources to support young job seekers go beyond the YES job board. The Department of Employment and Workforce website now has an Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders youth employment page at dew.sc.gov/youthemployment. In addition to linking to the YES job board, this webpage contains helpful information and tips for young people and their parents, including tips for building a resume, answers to parents’ frequently asked questions, educational videos that guide teenagers through dressing for success and other employment-related topics and more.
These resources help prepare and connect young people with work opportunities that benefit their finances and, more importantly, their personal growth and career paths.
Part-time job experience can help shape a young person’s future in more ways than one. For example, exploring different career paths and gaining exposure to different industries and professions can help shape teenagers’ postsecondary plans before they commit to a career, military service or additional schooling.
Part-time youth jobs often supply opportunities for networking and mentorships, which can change the trajectory of a young person’s future through meaningful connections made in the workplace. Depending on a high schooler’s postsecondary plans, a part-time job can also serve as a resume booster for college applications or, alternatively, help young job seekers become more competitive candidates than their peers when vying for employment.
Undoubtedly, the economic impact of having more young people in the workforce benefits our state, by increasing our current and future labor force, consumer spending and tax base. The true achievement we envision for South Carolina is developing a capable and confident labor force by nurturing the potential of our state’s young people so they can become the future’s talented, well-rounded workforce.
From skills trades to retail, hospitality to health care, manufacturing to cybersecurity and everything in between, South Carolina’s teens can learn more about the exciting jobs near them by visiting the YES job board, and employers can participate through the Department of Employment and Workforce interest form.
Pamela S. Evette is the lieutenant governor of South Carolina. William H. Floyd III is executive director of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce.
GREENVILLE, S.C. — When Pamela Evette was a teenager, she donned a polyester uniform and headed to her job at the Dairy Queen, something she says was formative in building the leadership skills and business skills that propelled her success as an adult.
The goal is to help high school and college-aged students and their parents realize the many benefits of a summer or part-time job, even beyond the paycheck.
They’ve launched the “Youth Employment Site.”
Evette said, “I’ve heard repeatedly from business owners that graduates entering the workforce often lack crucial soft skills, like responsibility, effective communication, teamwork, and many other important attributes necessary to succeed in adulthood.”
She said her own experience as a working teenager taught her that nothing compared to the hands-on experience of working a part-time job in gaining valuable experience in social skills and financial skills.
Floyd said, “The best first step toward the workforce is your first part-time job, learn all kinds of soft skills, the ability to talk with people, help customers with their needs. It’s a great training ground for future excellence.”
And he said it helps South Carolina businesses and industry fill some much needed positions.
The Home Depot manager Chris Abdella and assistant manager Bobby Boaen told Evette and Floyd that their part-time student employees often become full-time employees with The Home Depot after graduating from college.
Grayson Stokes is a 21-year-old accounting major at Clemson University who has worked for The Home Depot part-time while in college. He said that The Home Depot’s tuition reimbursement program is an extra help along with the salary he earns and the soft skills he’s acquired on the job.
And Logan Hyll, a 19-year-old sophomore at Coastal Carolina said his work experience at The Home Depot has led to additional skills in his major of marketing.
Employers and young people seeking jobs can now turn to a special page on the DEW website to connect to employment resources including tips for resume building, information about soft skills and answers to frequently asked questions. To connect. just click here. Interested employers can connect to a digital press kit here.
Columbia, S.C. – Throughout May, the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) celebrates SC@Work: School to Success, recognizing how youth strengthen our workforce and how our agency helps connect them with employers across the state. As part of this observance and DEW’s ongoing partnership with South Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor to encourage young people to join the workforce, a joint press conference with Lt. Governor Pamela Evette and DEW Executive Director William Floyd was held on Wednesday, May 1st, at the Charleston Area Convention Center to announce the launch of Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders. This initiative promotes the importance of youth employment and a brand-new job board made for teenagers.
“I’ve heard repeatedly from business owners that graduates entering the workforce often lack crucial soft skills, like responsibility, effective communication, teamwork, and many other important attributes necessary to succeed in adulthood,” said Lt. Governor Pamela Evette. “Nothing compares to hands-on experience working a part-time job. These jobs allow our young people to gain valuable experience before entering the workforce. I’m proud to partner with DEW to educate parents about this great need and the terrific employment opportunities available across the state.”
Several exciting projects were announced at the press conference, including the launch of the Youth Employment Site (YES) job board. This online job database is a dedicated hub for South Carolina’s teenagers. The job board features local businesses statewide that hire youth and shows which jobs are available and how to apply. The site is mobile-friendly; employers can be accessed by zip code, age, experience level, and more.
With its public launch, the job board will continue to grow and flourish, as businesses can now request to be featured on the site and work with DEW directly to promote their jobs to young people across the state. Interested employers can refer to the Digital Press Kitto learn how to participate.
“Connecting young people with job opportunities early in their schooling is essential for our developing workforce and part of the mission of our agency,” said DEW Executive Director William Floyd. “Whether after school or seasonal work, part-time jobs are foundational training grounds for young people that enable them to become our future industry leaders and great workers.”
Another unveiling during the press conference was that the Lt. Governor’s Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders Initiative has its page now on the DEW website, available at dew.sc.gov/youthemployment. This new youth webpage houses employment resources for young people and their parents, including resume-building tips, information about soft skills, answers to parents’ frequently asked questions, and more.
In addition to the YES job board being accessible on this DEW webpage, it also includes links to recent and prior youth employer visits during which the Lt. Governor and DEW traveled the state and connected with employers and their teen employees. For example, last week, they toured Chick-fil-A in Goose Creek, SC, and saw a very impressive group of youth working hard and actively learning lifelong lessons, such as arriving on time and being ready to work. Additional visits to employers across the state are planned throughout this year.
Immediately following the press conference, Lt. Governor Evette and Executive Director Floyd walked through the Your Next Step Job Fair next door, which DEW, SC Works, and the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments hosted. Both leaders spoke with some of the more than 80 participating employers.
The event was attended by over 280 graduating high school seniors from 26 high schools in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties in the morning, while members of the general public attended in the afternoon. That morning’s career fair was just one of DEW’s many youth-oriented events that will take place during SC@Work: School to Success Month as students move toward summer break and graduation season.
With the recent activity of graduating students and summer jobs becoming available, there has never been a more opportune time for parents and teens to say YES to youth employment.
Contact to learn more about the Lt. Governor’s Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders Initiative and the exceptional job board, web pages, and resources available to young people across the state.
Like many other states, South Carolina has been grappling with workforce shortages. The pandemic exacerbated these challenges, leaving businesses struggling to find qualified workers. As many manufacturers relocate or expand their operations to South Carolina, the manufacturing industry has felt the impact of these shortages.
To remediate these shortages, Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette has put workforce solutions at the forefront of her priorities. Notably, Lieutenant Governor Evette has worked with high school systems across the state to create workforce training programs that will supplement the existing classroom curriculum. Through the creation of its Bond Career Center, Greenville County is one of the first counties in South Carolina to fully adopt this model. The Bond Career Center aims to educate high school students through a hybrid model of both classroom and on-the-job training with local employers.
This year, Calder Brothers partnered with the Bond Career Center to create a pipeline of career-ready employees. Through this program, Calder Brothers mentored and trained six female welding student employees who have all since competed in national welding competitions. These students are set to graduate in May and will immediately transition into careers in welding. It is the hope that this partnership will alleviate local workforce shortages as future students continue to capitalize on this program.
In late April, Lieutenant Governor Evette visited the Calder Brothers headquarters to see the six welding students in action on the factory floor and to highlight Calder Brothers success with this program. During her address to the Calder Brothers staff, Lieutenant Governor Evette stated, “I have made it my mission for the past six years to expand workforce development efforts at the high school level across the state. My own son is a product of one of these programs, so I have seen firsthand the benefits of attracting young talent to join our workforce.”
As workforce shortages persist throughout the country, we must rely on innovative solutions that will attract young talent like the one created in South Carolina by Lieutenant Governor Evette.
