Laurens County initiative targets future manufacturing workforce

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Economic developers and educators in Laurens County want to talk about manufacturing and heighten awareness among students for industrial job opportunities through a new initiative called Laurens County: A High Opportunity. The first step in the initiative is a video featuring area manufacturers.

Laurens County: A High Opportunity seeks to raise the perception of manufacturing jobs and to recruit the next generation of the Laurens County manufacturing workforce, according to a news release. Organizers hope it will resonate with middle and high school students, as well as the parents of those students. Local faces can be seen throughout the video, with commentary given by high school students as well as testimonials given by individuals already in the manufacturing workforce in Laurens County, the release said. The Laurens County Development Corp. partnered with Laurens County School Districts, the city of Laurens and the city of Clinton on the project. The Laurens County Development Corp. said CCL Label, CeramTec, Michelin and ZF Transmissions helped produce the video.

“The Laurens County Development Corp. strives to provide the best environment possible for today’s advanced manufacturing and businesses to succeed in Laurens County,” said Jonathan Coleman, Laurens County Development Corp. executive director, in the release. “One of the most important resources existing businesses and new businesses will need to grow is a larger pool of talented workers. Continuing to change the way we develop our workforce of the future and keep Laurens County at the innovative forefront of workforce development in the Upstate will be key to the county’s growth now and in the future.”