Chamber awards 25 students Trident Tech scholarships

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The Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce has awarded 25 area high school students Accelerate Greater Charleston 2 scholarships to Trident Technical College.

The scholarship is awarded to students in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester 2 school districts who are graduating from a regional Career Academy with a GPA between 2.0 and 2.9. Each student is given $1,000 per semester for two years to obtain a degree from Trident Tech in a high-demand career sector.

The chamber uses its talent demand study, completed in 2014 and updated in 2016, to project what jobs are growing fastest in the region and what skills are required.

“The basis of our talent platform is to ensure that our children and grandchildren can graduate high school with the skills necessary to fill high-demand jobs in the Charleston region,” Mark Lattanzio, chairman of the chamber’s board, said in a news release. “These students have been given the opportunity to attend Trident Technical College and find fulfilling careers without having to leave the region.”

Accelerate Greater Charleston 2 is the second iteration of an economic development plan to ensure the area’s business environment remains competitive nationally and globally. The first campaign, which ran from 2012 to 2017, raised $4.2 million for scholarships and other incentives. Accelerate has a goal of raising $1 million per year for three years.