Arthur E. Brown Regional Workforce Training Center

TCL New River Campus, Bluffton, S.C.

The 50,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art workforce training center will be the second building on the New River Campus in Bluffton and will offer new and expanded programs in manufacturing, automated systems, logistics, business and entrepreneurship, computer technology and more.

From hospitality to health care, TCL excels at meeting the workforce needs of today’s employers. But business and industry is evolving, globally and locally. Preparing for tomorrow’s economy starts now.

As such, the college is breaking ground in April 2024 on its new 50,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Arthur E. Brown Regional Workforce Training Center, which will be the second building on the TCL New River campus that spans Beaufort and Jasper counties in South Carolina. The new facility will dramatically increase TCL’s capacity by an estimated 850 students.

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Notably, the center’s name honors Retired U.S. Army General Arthur E. Brown Jr. for his substantial contributions to the college. Appointed to the TCL Area Commission in 1997, he served 23 years – 15 as chairman – until his resignation in 2020. Under his leadership, the college expanded with the opening of the New River Campus and the Culinary Institute of the South in Bluffton, S.C.

The State of South Carolina’s 2023 budget included a $10 million appropriation for the center. The project is estimated to cost around $26 million with a three-to-four year approval process and construction timeline. The college is partnering with local government, industry and private donors to secure remaining funding.

The center will offer new and expanded programs in manufacturing, automated systems, logistics, business and entrepreneurship, computer technology and more. This includes fast-track workforce certifications in areas such as forklift operations and HVAC training that can be earned in a few months or less. Stackable offerings will help break longer programs into smaller chunks, which has many advantages.

“It allows both career changers and incumbent workers to gain new skills as their schedules allow without them having to put a hard stop on their current income,” Vice President for Advancement Mary Lee Carns said. “Plus, students are more likely to finish shorter classes.”

The center’s new programs also align with ongoing initiatives by local chambers of commerce and economic development organizations that are recruiting key sectors — aerospace and defense, light manufacturing and distribution, headquarter and back office, green and alternative energies, cybersecurity and more — to expand or locate here.

“These sectors have been strategically identified to fit well within the Lowcountry way of life while having the potential to offer higher wages and to create a more diversified local economy,” John O’Toole, Executive Director for the Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation, said.

The center’s program alignment will become an important part of the recruitment pitch to prospects, according to O’Toole.

“I will be able to say that we have a workforce that is trained and ready to go, which is such an important component of economic development,” O’Toole said.

The center’s course offerings also mirror the training needs of two other key workforce groups in the Lowcountry: military and small business.

Military members and veterans often turn to TCL to help translate their aviation electronics and aircraft maintenance service into industry-recognized credentials, which sets them up for future employment opportunities.

Business and entrepreneurship are becoming popular pathways for veterans as well. One recent study showed that veteran-owned businesses doubled in 2021 making up nearly 11% of new business owners in 2021 compared to 5.4% in 2019.

The Lowcountry economy relies on small business success, while entrepreneurship is one of the most popular career choices for younger generations. Data show that more than 60% of Generation Z have started or want to start their own business.

While the programs and classrooms have carefully been chosen, the plan also leaves room for flexible spaces and adaptable technology, Carns said.

Gough says that the the training center’s benefits are far-reaching.

“Enhancing the college’s technology and diversifying our offerings will certainly have a positive impact on the Lowcountry’s workforce and on the region’s overall economic health,” he said.