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Award-winning Program Lifts Students with Diverse Learning Needs

Jun 06, 2022

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The 2022 Building Occupational Opportunities in the Midlands (BOOM) program graduates.

Midlands Technical College celebrated another successful class of the Building Occupational Opportunities in the Midlands (BOOM) program on Wednesday.

Eight students, who have learning disabilities, now are prepared for jobs and careers in the construction industry. When graduates are honored each year, they receive work belts and professional tool sets that will allow them to work in the homebuilding industry. While the students complete the 90-hour course, they also earn certificates in building construction, plus their OSHA credentials. The South Carolina State Technical College System recognized the program as the best for collaboration and innovation in 2019.

BOOM is made possible thanks to a grant from Apprenticeship Carolina and cooperation between Lexington District One, Lexington-Richland District Five, Richland School Districts One and Two, Midlands Education & Business Alliance, S.C. Vocational Rehabilitation, Midlands Workforce Development Board, and the Building Industry Association of Central South Carolina.

“We are very excited to see the BOOM Program continue with the support of the school districts and with a new partnership with Apprenticeship Carolina,” said Program Director Mike Ross. “It’s even more exciting to see the program expand to include the Lexington 1 district this year and hope other school districts can participate as well in the future.”