SC@Work: Rural Connections events are a continuation of our SC@Work: Road Trips last year. The road trips were small job fairs and community events in the most rural pockets of our great state. Those job fairs took place in 2023 at 24 different locations across 17 counties, with over 700 jobseekers in attendance and 600 follow-up interviews. Now it's time for phase two of our rural initiative: Rural Connections! These job fairs aim to be more frequent, bigger, and better!

SC@Work: Rural Connections events are targeting jobseekers with barriers to employment, such as transportation, which prevent them from accessing regional workforce development services. These events can include festivals and community events. For instance, a jobseeker can attend this event and network directly with employers, submit applications and work on their resume in DEW’s Career Coach, talk to community providers, and more. Instead of people in rural communities having to commute for 40 minutes to a job fair, we are bringing the job fairs right to their backdoor!

The state-of-the-art Career Coach mobile unit will be present at certain events, which is a traveling SC Works center that is wheelchair accessible, has 10 workstations for job-seeking activities, provides wi-fi and printer capabilities, and has staff available to assist users. It is an extension of the services provided through SC Works Centers across the state. SC@Work: Rural Connections is part of an ongoing rural initiative to make DEW and SC Works services accessible to jobseekers in rural and underserved areas.

Attend upcoming Rural Connections events in your area!

Date	Time	Event	Place	Address
Friday, April 11, 2025	2PM - 4PM	Interview Workshop	Abbeville Chamber of Commerce	107 Court Sq., Abbeville, SC 29620
Friday, April 11, 2025	4PM - 7PM	Child Abuse Prevention Festival	Beaufort-Jasper-Hampton Comprehensive Health Services	1000 West Pine St., Varnville, SC 29944
Tuesday, April 15, 2025	11AM - 1PM	Resume Workshop	McCormick County Library	201 Railroad Ave., McCormick, SC 29835
Friday, April 18,2025	11AM - 2PM	Lending a Hand Information Sessions	Helping Hand of Myrtle Beach	1411 MR Joe White Ave., Myrtle Beach
Saturday, April 19, 2025	11AM - 3PM	Community Easter Egg Hunt	Estill Nature Trail	160 Lily St., Estill, SC 29918
Tuesday, April 22, 2025	10AM - 1PM	Resource Fair	Lucas Avenue Baptist Church	101 Lucas Ave., Laurens SC, 29360
Tuesday, April 22, 2025	9AM - 3PM	Job Fair Career Expo	National Guard Armory	849 Cottageville Hwy., Walterboro, SC 29488
Wednesday, April 23, 2025	11AM - 2PM	Job and Resource Fair	Abbeville County Library	1407 N Main St., Abbeville SC, 29620
Thursday, April 24, 2025	10 AM - 1 PM	Career and Resource Fair	Boykin Recreation Center	1851 US Hwy 321 Bypass N. Winnsboro, SC 29180
Tuesday, April 29, 2025	9AM - 11AM	Interview Workshop	John De La Howe Library	192 Gettys Rd., McCormick, SC 29835
Wednesday, April 30, 2025	9AM - 3PM	Job Fair Career Expo	James Hagood Learning Center	729 Magnolia Rd., Hampton, SC 29924
Wednesday, May 21, 2025	11AM - 2PM	Job and Resource Fair	Paul Dennis Community Center	123 North Main St., McCormick, SC 29835
Saturday, June 28, 2025	9AM - 12PM	Community Health Fair	Lovely Hill Baptist Convention Center	5905 West Jim Bilton Blvd., St. George, SC 29427
January - August (See flyer for dates)	10AM - 1PM	Federal Bonding Workshop	Palmetto Goodwill	2754 Agnes Lane, Myrtle Beach, SC 29588
Every First Monday (11/24 - 12/25)	10 AM - 1 PM	Mullins Public Library	Resume Workshop	210 N. Main St., Mullins, SC 29574
Every Third Wednesday	9 AM - 12 PM	Community and Homeless Resource Hub	Darlington County DSS	300 Russell St., Darlington, SC 29532

SC@Work Trip Flyers

Want to spread the word about upcoming SC@Work: Rural Connections? Click on the below options to download event flyers for upcoming trips!

April 11 - Abbeville Flyer
April 11 - Varnville Flyer
April 15 - McCormick Flyer
April 18 - Myrtle Beach Flyer
April 19 - Hampton Flyer
April 22 - Laurens Flyer
April 22 - Walterboro Flyer
April 23 - Abbeville Flyer
April 24 - Fairfield Flyer
April 29 - McCormick Flyer
April 30 - Hampton Flyer
May 21 - McCormick Flyer
June 25 - Blackville Flyer
June 28 - Dorchester Flyer
January - August (select dates) - Horry Flyer
Every First Monday - Mullins Flyer
Every Third Wednesday - Darlington Flyer

List of South Carolina Rural Connections Tiers

2023		2024		2025
TIER IV	TIER III	TIER IV	TIER III	TIER IV	TIER III
Allendale	Abbeville	Abbeville	Calhoun	Abbeville	Chester
Bamberg	Chesterfield	Allendale	Chester	Allendale	Chesterfield
Barnwell	Clarendon	Bamberg	Clarendon	Bamberg	Clarendon
Cherokee	Colleton	Barnwell	Colleton	Barnwell	Colleton
Chester	Darlington	Cherokee	Darlington	Cherokee	Darlington
Dillon	Fairfield	Chesterfield	Fairfield	Dillon	Fairfield
Lee	Greenwood	Dillon	Greenwood	Lee	Greenwood
Marion	Horry	Lee	Hampton	Marion	Hampton
Marlboro	Jasper	Marion	Horry	Marlboro	Horry
Orangeburg	Laurens	Marlboro	Laurens	Orangeburg	Laurens
Union	McCormick	Orangeburg	McCormick	Union	McCormick
Williamsburg	Sumter	Union	Sumter	Williamsburg	Sumter
		Williamsburg