Competitiveness Of South Carolinian Aerospace Education

Since 2006, South Carolina’s aerospace cluster has grown in a manner reminiscent of the early growth of its automotive cluster. Given the success of the latter, the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness has begun to research how the aerospace cluster can achieve the same progress. A properly educated and skilled workforce was found to be a key element of growth. To create this resource, at least one quality aerospace education or training program should exist in a geographic area. This research sought to determine whether South Carolina has sufficient training programs to maximize growth by comparing the state to two others with more developed aerospace sectors. By compiling lists of several types of programs in South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia, it was found that the total amount of programs offered in South Carolina is comparatively subpar, as it offers less than Alabama and far less than Florida. These data provide insight into the state’s strengths and weaknesses and lead to research ideas that will identify existing variables while identifying models for South Carolinian growth