NORTH AUGUSTA - Employers will need to fill more than 30,000 job openings over the next five years in Aiken and four other counties in a five-county service area.
But students in the region are not choosing careers in the area's high-demand occupations such as welding and engineering, according to a Regional Workforce Study conducted by TIP Strategies, a Texas economic consulting firm hired by the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization.
Tom Stellman, president of TIP Strategies, presented the findings Wednesday in the Palmetto Terrace room of the North Augusta Municipal Building. The 30,000 job openings, Stellman said, is a "conservative estimate" and stems from both new job creation and replacement employment.
"There are great careers in the region that do not require a four-year degree," Stellman said. "At the same time, bachelor's degrees in such areas as engineering, computer science and health science are in high-demand."
More on the study and comments from local leaders will be available in Thursday's Aiken Standard.
Derrek Asberry is the SRS beat reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the paper since June 2013. He is originally from Vidalia, Ga., and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Follow him on Twitter @DerrekAsberry.