Committee advances nominee for new statewide workforce office after questions on rural outreach, second‑chance hiring

Dr. Rebecca Battle, nominee for director of the Office of Statewide Workforce Development, was favorably reported by the Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee after a screening that focused on outreach to rural communities, skills‑based hiring and hiring pathways for returning citizens.

Battle told the committee she has worked in workforce development for about 30 years and highlighted experience in government, education and private industry, saying, “Workforce development has been a passion of mine for the last 30 years.” She described founding Battle Plan Consulting six years ago to connect employers and educators and said the director post would be “a dream come true.”

The nut graf: The new office sits inside the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce and the director’s role is coterminous with the governor; the…