Orangeburg
Ideally located between Columbia and Charleston, Orangeburg has all the right stuff for developing and implementing a DEE Roadmap.
When 15 community leaders came together to set a digital shift in motion, their biggest goal was to improve communication and collaboration around existing digital projects.
The community’s DEE project is embedded in Orangeburg’s Regional Innovation Center, a recent collaboration among the city and local academic institutions, South Carolina State University and Claflin University. Led by executive director Gary Robinson, the DEE is on a mission to guide the jobs and skills the community should embrace.
When developing their roadmap, community leaders focused on three primary concentration clusters – education, downtown revitalization, and news, culture & entertainment. The education cluster includes digital training programs for the ready-to-work population and programs for the talent pipeline, manufacturing industry, healthcare industry, and small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Some of Orangeburg's most significant accomplishments to date include:
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Create digital skilling opportunities for the ready-to-work population
Create access to digital jobs through partnership development & promotion of a motivated and skilled workforce
Create access to remote jobs through co-working spaces and satellite incubators with high-speed internet
Create a digital talent pipeline through career exposure programs for middle and high school students
Hire a DEE director to lead coordination, fundraising & sustainability efforts
Develop a DEE marketing & communications plan
Develop a think tank of DEE champions
Create a cohort of expert trainers
Develop custom digital courses to support specific industries
Develop a media production collaborative to specialize in marketing small businesses and local arts & entertainment