Department of Employment and Workforce reports progress implementing Act 67, expands Coordinating Council for Workforce Development
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Summary
Department of Employment and Workforce officials told the Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee that Act 67 has led to expanded membership, new staff and targeted projects — including a welding certificate pilot — while the office created by the law awaits a confirmed director.
Mr. Floyd, executive director of the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, told the Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee that the Statewide Education and Workforce Development Act (Act 67) has begun delivering on its central aim: increased collaboration among agencies, educators and employers.
The law, which transferred certain workforce functions and FTEs to the department, created an expanded Coordinating Council for Workforce Development (CCWD) and established an Office of Statewide Workforce Development (OSWD). Floyd said those structural changes have allowed the state to "hit the ground running" on strategic projects and to better align education and workforce systems.
Act 67 pairs education and workforce policy to create a more customer-centered statewide system, Floyd said, and the CCWD now includes representatives from pre-K through higher education, technical colleges, state agencies, employers and policymakers. The first full CCWD meeting under the expanded membership took place in August 2023; full council meetings occur quarterly and the executive committee meets at least quarterly.
Floyd highlighted the council's industry-focused meeting structure and a data-driven approach. He described a technical-college collaboration that tracked welding students' wages before and after earning a certificate and found substantial wage gains: "the average wage of these good folks before they got the welding certificate was essentially minimum wage plus. After the certificate, their wages at least doubled and sometimes tripled through one welding certificate," he said. Floyd said such outcomes help the council set priorities for training and align state resources.
Act 67 also transferred workforce development functions previously housed at the Department of Commerce to DEW, and the law created a slot for an OSWD director. Floyd said the governor has announced an appointee, Dr. Rebecca Battle Bridal, and that the appointment is subject to Senate confirmation. Floyd described the OSWD director's responsibilities — implementing CCWD decisions, overseeing regional workforce advisors, aligning publicly funded workforce programs and producing an annual report that identifies noncompliant entities and details workforce-related spending.
Floyd introduced several staff who support the CCWD work, including Ellen Andrews Morgan (director of government affairs), Mike Brittenham (chief of staff) and Robert Davis (CCWD process staff). He also identified Dr. Erica Von Nessen as a departmental staff member who supports data and projections work.
Floyd emphasized rural engagement and regional workforce advisors as critical connectors among schools, employers, students and parents. He said the CCWD solicits input from stakeholders beyond voting members and uses a recurring agenda template that includes an industry theme, data review and committee reports.
The department asked the committee for ongoing legislative engagement and guidance as it implements the law. Floyd closed by inviting questions and by noting that some projects are complete while others remain in development.
Floyd said he is serving temporarily in multiple roles at DEW, including as chair of the CCWD, until the governor's appointee is confirmed: "I wear three hats at DEW. Yes. The DEW hat, the CCWD chairman hat, and I'm also the ad hoc director of the CCWD process pending the appointment and confirmation of this person, Dr. Rebecca Battle Bridal."
