Scout Motors Opens $5M Training Center in SC, Plans 4,000 Hires by 2027

Gov. Henry McMaster and state officials toured the new Scout Motors $5 million worker training center in Richland County last week. The center will prepare workers for 4,000 jobs at its electric vehicle plant north of Columbia. Production of electric trucks and SUVs should begin in 2027.

"It has already paid dividends in what we're doing," said Clarice Henderson, Scout Motors vice president of human resources for production, according to WISTV. "Our new maintenance folks are coming through and being assessed here. We're talking about production assessments and post-hire training."

Richland County, the South Carolina Technical College System, and the state funded the center. Part of the money came from a $1.3 billion incentive package the General Assembly approved in 2023 to bring in the manufacturer.

The center operates as part of ReadySC, the worker training division of the Technical College System. Midlands Technical College serves as a partner in running the operation.

"We're creating and bringing in companies, but we want to make sure that our residents right here in South Carolina are ready and trained to get those jobs," said Richland County Council Chair Jesica Mackey.

The center has simulators where candidates practice controlling robotic arms and mounting wheels. Performance on these simulations combines with interviews to determine hiring decisions.

State leaders said the partnership with ReadySC influenced the company's decision to pick South Carolina over competing states.

"We have the people. We have the ingredients. We just need a place like this to bring them in, inspire them, let them use their talents, learn these skills that are very rare in some parts of the country," McMaster said.

A similar center operates in the Lowcountry, where employers, including Volvo, train workers. Trident Technical College partners with that location.