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TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 59-29-250 SO AS TO CREATE THE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) PATHWAY RESOURCE NETWORK TO FACILITATE THE PROVISION OF STEM EDUCATION THROUGHOUT THE STATE, AND TO PROVIDE RELATED REQUIREMENTS OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION; BY ADDING ARTICLE 29 TO CHAPTER 53, TITLE 59 SO AS TO DEFINE NECESSARY TERMINOLOGY CONCERNING CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURING CAREER PATHWAYS, TO PROVIDE COLLABORATIVE DESIGN OF A CAREER PATHWAY FOR STUDENTS WITHIN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND WITHIN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR TO CONNECT SCHOOL DISTRICTS, TECHNICAL COLLEGES, VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS, JUNIOR COLLEGES, AND FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION WITH ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS, LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, AND REGIONAL CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS AND REGIONAL MANUFACTURING SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS IN A MANNER TO ALLOW A STUDENT TO EARN INCOME WHILE PROGRESSING ALONG THE CAREER PATHWAY, TO SPECIFY REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROGRAM, AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKFORCE, SHALL POST CERTAIN INFORMATION CONCERNING THE CAREER PATHWAY ON THE STATE-PROVIDED, FREE ONLINE RESOURCE; AND BY ADDING ARTICLE 31 TO CHAPTER 53, TITLE 59 SO AS TO CREATE SEVEN MANUFACTURING AND CONSTRUCTION CAREER PATHWAY DISTRICTS IN THE STATE, WITH ONE REPRESENTING EACH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, WITHIN EACH OF WHICH ARE ESTABLISHED TWO MANUFACTURING AND CONSTRUCTION CAREER PATHWAY CENTERS TO PROVIDE COURSEWORK AND GUIDANCE FOR RESIDENTS SEEKING TO PURSUE STUDIES IN A MANUFACTURING CAREER PATHWAY PROGRAM OR A CONSTRUCTION CAREER PATHWAY PROGRAM, TO PROVIDE OVERSIGHT OF THE DISTRICTS AND CENTERS BY THE STATE BOARD FOR TECHNICAL AND COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION, TO PROVIDE FOR THE FUNDING FOR THE CENTERS, TO PROVIDE EACH CENTER MUST BE MANAGED BY A DIRECTOR, AND TO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM THE CENTERS BY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITIES.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Article 1, Chapter 29, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 59-29-250. (A) As used in this article:
(1) 'Regional STEM education pathway network' means a collaborative of STEM education experts focusing on economic development through improvement in K-12 STEM education, including:
(a) public and private postsecondary educational institutions;
(b) grade and secondary schools;
(c) businesses;
(d) governmental entities; and
(e) nonprofit STEM education providers.
(2) 'STEM' means the educational disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
(B) Before the 2019-2020 School Year, the State Department of Education shall:
(1) establish a series of regional STEM education pathway networks each of which shall provide a venue for the STEM interested to contribute their time and talents to local efforts that engage and inform their community;
(2) establish a STEM pathway resource network of at least seven regional STEM educational support networks that link regional workforce centers with schools and other STEM education providers in the region;
(3) provide curricular material, training, and support to schools and other STEM education providers in the STEM disciplines;
(4) provide STEM professional development to teachers and other STEM educators;
(5) evaluate schools, regions, and statewide STEM implementation for STEM program alignment, teacher skills, teacher pedagogical content knowledge, and student achievement; and
(6) organize focused program leadership support, outreach, evaluations, and professional development among the STEM regional support networks."
SECTION 2. Chapter 53, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
Section 59-53-2610. As used in this chapter:
(1) 'Board' means the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education.
(2) 'Career pathway' means a series of connected education and training strategies and support services that enable individuals to secure industry-relevant skills, general business skills, such as writing business proposals, and certification where applicable, to obtain employment within an occupational area, and to advance to higher levels of future education and employment.
(3) 'Construction industry' means a wide range of activities involving architectural drafting, construction, alteration, and repair of commercial structures and residential structures, bridge erection, roadway paving, excavations, demolitions, and large scale painting jobs, among many others.
(4) 'Construction industry partnership' means a collaboration of engineers and contractors, in partnership with public workforce development, economic development, business and industry, and educational partners, to ensure that workers are prepared to meet the growing demands of the construction industry within a geographic area.
(5) 'Manufacturing sector' means establishments, including existing and emerging manufacturing sector partnerships, engaged in the mechanical, physical, or chemical transformation of materials, substances, or components into new products. Manufacturing sector includes the employees who plan, manage, and perform the processing of materials into intermediate or final products and related professional and technical support activities, including production planning and control, maintenance, and manufacturing process engineering.
(6) 'Manufacturing sector partnership' means a collaboration of business and industry, in partnership with public workforce development, economic development, and educational partners, to ensure that workers are prepared to meet the growing demands of the manufacturing industry sector within a geographic area.
(7) 'Stackable certificates' means a sequence of credentials, each of which is recognized by employers and provides a gateway to employment and matriculation into a technical degree or advanced study in a field.
Section 59-53-2620. (A) No later than the 2019-2020 School Year, the board, after consulting with the state's technical colleges and area vocational schools, and in collaboration with the Department of Employment and Workforce, the Commission on Higher Education, the Department of Education, the Economic Development Coordinating Council, and the State Council on Vocational-Technical Education shall design a career pathway for students within the construction sector and within the manufacturing sector. These career pathways must connect school districts, technical colleges, vocational schools, junior colleges, and four-year institutions of higher education with adult education programs, local workforce development programs, and regional manufacturing sector partnerships, and will allow a student to earn income while progressing along the career pathway.
(B) These career pathways must include industry-validated stackable certifications and multiple entry and exit points that allow students of all ages to seek additional opportunities in the manufacturing sector. The manufacturing career pathway designed by the board must include, but need not be limited to:
(1) alignment with the skills and requirements that state and local manufacturing sector employers, through manufacturing sector partnerships, determine are necessary for career progression in high-demand occupations within the manufacturing sector;
(2) a full range of middle school, secondary, adult education, and postsecondary education options, with a nonduplicative, clearly articulated course progression from one level of instruction to the next, with opportunities to earn postsecondary credits, maximize credit for prior learning, and secure industry-validated credentials;
(3) technical skill assessments at multiple points in the manufacturing career pathway that lead to industry certifications or other value in employment, including advanced placement into a higher level of training;
(4) academic and career counseling resources, best practices in wraparound support services, particularly at transition points along the manufacturing career pathway, and support and development of individual career and academic plans; and
(5) curriculum and instructional strategies that are appropriate for adult students and that embed learning and skill building in a work-related context.
Section 59-53-2630. (A) After the design of the career pathways provided in this article are complete, the Commission on Higher Education, in collaboration with the Department of Employment and Workforce, shall post information concerning the career pathway on the state-provided, free online resource commonly referred to as 'CollegeInSouthCarolina.gov'. This resource must include information concerning:
(1) manufacturing sector career awareness;
(2) salary and wage information for manufacturing sector careers;
(3) the manufacturing sector employment forecast;
(4) information on programs within the manufacturing career pathway, services provided, and financial aid opportunities for students; and
(5) online student support services.
(B) Each public school shall include information concerning career center coursework, curriculum, and other relevant information given to students when registering for courses."
SECTION 3. Chapter 53, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
Section 59-53-2810. There are created seven manufacturing and construction career pathway districts in the State, with one representing each congressional district. Within each of these seven districts, there are established two manufacturing and construction career pathway centers to provide coursework and guidance for residents seeking to pursue studies in a manufacturing career pathway program established pursuant to Chapter 28 or a construction career pathway program established pursuant to Chapter 30.
Section 59-53-2820. The State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education shall oversee the districts and centers, including:
(1) determining, in collaboration with regional public-private partnerships, specific features of the curriculum offered in each center to ensure that the curriculum responds to the unique needs of its regional economy, and that the curriculum evolves as those unique needs change;
(2) specify criteria for establishing public-private partnerships at each center as referenced in item (3), with these public-private partnerships serving to identify the unique needs of the regional economy and to facilitate an educational relationship experience for students in each career center, such as internships and expert lecturers;
(3) guidelines that a center may use to certify private-sector professionals with proven track records in the fields of study offered by the center; and
(4) conduct an annual review of the budget expenditures of each center and the progress of each center in accomplishing the purposes of this section.
Section 59-53-2830. Each center must be funded with monies appropriated by the General Assembly for this purpose. A center may be housed in an existing technical or vocational school.
Section 59-53-2840. Each center must employ a full-time director to manage the center. The director shall identify, recruit, and certify people with expertise in the fields of study offered at the center to teach courses at the center, and may consider the guidelines created by the State Council on Vocational and Technical Education in making this certification.
Section 39-53-2850. A center may receive financial or in-kind contributions from private sources or other public sources.
Section 59-53-2860. (A) Each public school district shall provide bussing transportation to students in the district to and from the nearest career pathway center if the student wishes to pursue studies in the center.
(B) Each regional transportation authority shall include routes that include stops and pickups for the centers located in the service area of the authority."
SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor
This web page was last updated on January 24, 2018 at 2:33 PM