SCEDS School

The South Carolina Economic Development School is a unique partnership of the SC Department of Commerce, the SC Economic Developers' Association, and the Tate Center for Entrepreneurship at the College of Charleston. The purpose of SCEDS is to educate those who support the economic development professionals in their communities. These supporters come from a wide variety of organizations including city and county councils, school boards, utility companies, local government, banks and others. Practitioners and academicians make up the faculty. They focus on the knowledge and tools that will help South Carolina compete in today's tough economic development environment.

SCEDS consists of four sessions each year which cover different aspects of economic development. Graduates receive a certificate for attending all four sessions. SCEDS is funded by registration fees and sponsorships. The sponsorships help keep the registration fees affordable. For registration information contact The Tate Center for Entrepreneurship, College of Charleston, 843-953-5628 or please visit their website at http://www.cofc.edu/~tate/.

 2008 SCEDS Dates:

SCEDS will begin it's 18th year in 2008!

Please click here to download the 2008 program brochure and registration information.

Session 1 - February 21-22: Deciding what we want to build: What are community and economic development?

• Branding for success
• Traditional vs. Nontraditional development
• Leadership needs

Registration to sessions 2,3, and 4 are for those individuals already enrolled in the South Carolina Economic Development School for 2008.  Should you be an attendee from previous years and need to complete individual sessions, please contact Cantrece White at the College of Charleston or Ed West at the SC Department of Commerce.  They will be able to assist you with which session will help you complete SCEDS.

Session 2 - May 15-16: Laying a foundation for community and economic development

• Strategic Planning
• Workforce Development
• Infrastructure Development

          
Session 3 - August 14-15: Framing for community and economic development

• Industrial Parks and Specialized Buildings
• Success Stories
• Existing Industry
• International Trade

          
Session 4 - November 6-7 : Putting on the finishing touches of community and economic development

• Marketing and Promoting
• Web Sites
• Making the Presentation to Prospects