S.C. technical colleges will begin offering free EMS education in January

By Kerri Hatt

DUNCAN, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has announced he will allocate the last $17 million of the state’s COVID-19 education relief money to help pay for two years of technical college training for high-demand jobs, WMBF reported.

The Workforce Scholarships for the Future pilot program is expected to help 15,000 students obtain associate degrees or industry credentials in the healthcare, manufacturing, computer science and information technology fields.

“Today was a great step forward for EMS Education,” the South Carolina EMS Association posted, noting that the organization has been working closely with the technical college system to address the cost of education.

“Governor McMaster has officially announced that EMS education, both degree and credit, at all certification levels will be free at all technical colleges statewide beginning in January as part of his scholarship plan,” the organization noted.

Any South Carolina adult or recent high school graduate is eligible, as long as they maintain a 2.0 GPA and complete 100 hours of voluntary time to a nonprofit or public-service organization, are employed or take a financial literacy course.

The program will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2022.