Chamber -CTEC Partnership Announced

The board of directors of both the York County Regional Chamber and the Catawba Technology Education Consortium (CTEC) recently approved a partnership agreement that provides office space for the education organization in the Chamber's new regional headquarters at 116 East Main Street in Rock Hill. CTEC is expected to occupy approximately 400 of the Chamber's total 12,600-square-feet and plans to move in with the Chamber in the first quarter of 2004.
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Debbie Waddell, CTEC Director, had this to say, "I am excited that CTEC will be partnering with the York County Regional Chamber. Not only will we be closer to the business community, we will be able to better understand the changing needs of our local employers. Getting real time information from the local businesses will enable us to more effectively work for our educators in developing/modifying programs to better prepare our students."

Chamber President Rob Youngblood echoed the CTEC director's excitement about the partnership, in saying, "The Chamber and CTEC are a perfect fit. This will benefit both organizations in serving its customers and the community, plus the partnership holds tremendous promise for assisting our students, and ultimately, for the business community."

The Chamber and CTEC already enjoy a close working relationship, with the Chamber providing promotional and volunteer assistance to the CTEC programs. This agreement positions CTEC as a partner of the Chamber. CTEC, a member of the Chamber, currently occupies space in the Withers Building on the campus of Winthrop University.

The Regional Chamber - and the Fort Mill, Rock Hill, and Tega Cay chambers prior to the 2000 merger - has traditionally provided strong support for school-to-work initiatives like those administered by CTEC. Furthermore, the partnership will facilitate the Chamber's involvement in a school-to-work and other education initiatives.

CTEC, a state and federally funded non-profit organization, was established in the early-1990s to promote school-to-work skill development. In addition to the four public school districts in York County, it also serves systems in Lancaster and Chester counties. Three of the many programs administered by CTEC are:
· Choices Program for eighth graders
· Employability Skills program, administered to high school students
· Summer Teacher Internships
CTEC was previously associated with the Junior Achievement (JA) program and Communities-In-Schools, and it continues to work closely with the JA program.