Strengthening Statewide Cooperative Extension Programming

$800,000

Investing in program assistants is an essential strategy to bolster the capacity, reach and effectiveness of Cooperative Extension across South Carolina. These dedicated support staff serve as the backbone of community engagement, program implementation and administrative efficiency, allowing Extension Agents to focus on high-impact, research-based outreach and education initiatives.

Goals:

• By establishing a program assistant model, Extension can create a sustainable, skilled
  workforce that evolves from technical support roles into fully accredited professionals.
• To build local talent, stabilize staffing and reduce reliance on short-term staffing solutions.

Current State

• Ongoing recruitment and retention challenges require a targeted
  approach to hiring that creates a pipeline for career advancement.

What will this $800K do?

• These 10 program assistants would be within the horticulture and
  4-H youth development Extension teams, furthering programming
  and community engagement.