Since January 2011, Team South Carolina has been on a roll, recruiting more than 120,000 jobs and approximately $33 billion in capital investment. As a result of this industry recruitment success, the state's unemployment rate has dropped from 10.7 percent to 4.4 percent; and, there are 290,000 more people working in South Carolina today than there were seven years ago. As the Palmetto State inches closer to full employment, Team South Carolina's mission to develop a robust, well-trained workforce becomes even more important.
Recognizing this, S.C. Commerce has partnered with two of our existing industries -- Volvo Cars and Mercedes-Benz Vans -- to pilot a more aggressive workforce recruitment and training program. The primary concept of this new initiative: go to potential workers and educate them. Starting last summer, state and community leaders from various workforce training organizations did just that by hosting three employment and training information sessions each for Volvo Cars and Mercedes-Benz Vans. As part of the effort, both automakers agreed to accept a Manufacturing Lean certificate in lieu of manufacturing experience.
By hosting these events, which attracted more than 2,200 attendees, we've been able to inform citizens of the opportunities available. And, they've responded. More than 500 people have already enrolled in the Manufacturing Lean program, and 250 of those have already completed the program. None of these individuals had prior manufacturing experience, and some of them have already secured positions in Volvo Cars' new Berkeley County plant.
Moving forward, as we aim to meet the current and future workforce needs of our existing industries, thinking outside the box will be critical. By collaborating with our many allies to develop innovative solutions, we'll be able to successfully tackle any workforce recruitment or training challenges that stand in our way.
