The Lowcountry Economic Alliance, the city of Beaufort and TWEAC (Transitional Workforce Educational Assistance Collaborative) today announced the launch of a military workforce development program.
“We are very pleased to see the work of so many come to fruition today as we officially launch this program. One of our greatest community assets is the military and today we are cultivating exiting Marines and Sailors as we plan our jobs future,” said Mayor Billy Keyserling.  “They bring great skills and discipline to the workplace, many want to stay in the area when they leave the service and we know this workforce asset will help us recruit more diverse and better jobs to the area.”
Over the last year, the city of Beaufort has been meeting with military, industry, educational and community partners to create a customized workforce model to assist exiting military personnel to transition into the private sector. The group’s analysis resulted in the creation of the nonprofit organization Transitional Workforce Educational Assistance Collaborative, or TWEAC.
“The launch of this program could not be coming at a better time for exiting military personnel. There are record numbers of veterans unemployed and we see TWEAC as a tremendous resource for veterans, exiting military personnel, and businesses looking for top-notch workers,” said retired United States Marine Corps Lieutenant General Garry Parks, chairman of TWEAC.
The nonprofit is being financially supported by the Lowcountry Economic Alliance as the program is kicked off in the pilot phase of development.   During the pilot phase, current data will be collected on the regional military inventory available and the skills they possess that are so valuable to the private sector. Translating the military skills into private sector terminology is critical to completing the mission of matching veteran skills with business needs.
David Tigges, Chairman of the Lowcountry Economic Alliance, stated, “The business community is beginning to invest again and we are seeing good prospect traffic in the region.  But, it is a very competitive market and our ability as a region to set ourselves apart from the competition. This veterans workforce pool is a superior group of Marines that have tremendous skills, discipline and reliability.  This workforce pool sets us apart.”
For more information, contact the Lowcountry Economic Alliance at 843-705-0830 or kstatler@lowcountryalliance.org.